Atascocita man in custody after wife found dead

A 55-year-old man has been taken into custody and his 12-year-old son has been found safe hours after his wife was shot to death Monday at their home in northeast Harris County.

The woman’s body was found about 8:30 a.m. in the 10400 block of Fire Sage Drive in the Atascocita area, said Deputy Thomas Gilliland, spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff ’s Office. She died of an apparent gunshot wound.

Gilliland said it was unknown if there had been calls for service to the residence but there was a history of domestic arguments and incidents.

“This is a real tragedy, especially since today is the last day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” Gilliland said.

The owner of the home, Alejandro Ricardo, had leased the home to the family and echoed Gilliland’s comments that there had allegedly been a few arguments between the couple.

Ricardo said the couple had lived at the house in the Laurel Place subdivision for five months.

Gilliland said deputies had been sent to the residence after a man called 911 to say his brother had just telephoned him and told him he had shot his own wife at the couple’s home and left with their 12-year old son. He was driving a Cadillac SRX to southern Texas.

Deputies alerted other law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the sports utility vehicle traveling southbound on U.S 59. About 11:30 a.m., a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper spotted the SUV in Victoria County and pulled over the driver. The man was taken into custody, and his son was unharmed.

The man is expected to be brought to Harris County. He has not been charged.