Man charged in death after torso found
Police say murder suspect dated missing woman whose remains likely were in bayou
The man charged in the death of a missing Houston woman whose dismembered body was probably found in Greens Bayou on Tuesday had dated her for about a month before the slaying, Harris County Sheriff’s Office officials said Wednesday.
Jeffrey Andre McDonald, 46, was arrested just after midnight Wednesday, said Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. McDonald was charged with murder in the death of Rebecca Suhrheinrich, court records show.
Suhrheinrich, 58, has been missing since Friday, when coworkers said she didn’t show up for work. A human resource manager at Tejas Tubular Products, where Suhrheinrich worked, first reported her missing, authorities said.
Gonzalez said investigators found her north Harris County apartment in disarray with “obvious” signs of foul play, including blood on the floors, wall and furnishings. The scene was “consistent with the dismemberment of a human being,” according to a criminal complaint .
“It was a very heinous crime,” Gonzalez said at a news conference Wednesday. “We’re just glad we were able to bring
closure to this.”
McDonald’s sister, Rashawnda Henry-Carroway, said she received a call early last Saturday from a friend telling her that McDonald needed to be picked up from a park near where Suhrheinrich’s apparent body was found, according to the criminal complaint filed against McDonald.
Henry-Carroway said McDonald appeared “aggitated” [sic] and that he was “starting to scare her with his behavior.”
He asked her for cleaning supplies, including bleach and latex gloves, the complaint stated.
Authorities accused McDonald of spreading hot sauce, vinegar, wine and lotions around the apartment “in an apparent attempt to cover up the presence of DNA evidence.”
The victim’s torso was found wrapped in a white bed sheet along the north bank of Greens Bayou, according to the complaint.
While authorities are operating under the premise that the body found in the bayou under West Hardy Road on Tuesday was that of Suhrheinrich, the identity won’t be known until the Harris County medical examiner gives an official confirmation.
Suhrheinrich and McDonald struck up a dating relationship after McDonald met her while visiting someone else at her apartment complex, said Lt. Christopher Sandoval with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Residents at her complex said the two had been dating for about a month and that they had seen McDonald there, Sandoval said.
“We can put him there, we have linkage with him being there, knowing her and having this relationship with her,” Sandoval said.
A neighbor who lives directly below Suhrheinrich’s apartment later told authorities that on Thursday night she heard a woman scream, “Help me,” followed by two to three minutes of loud banging.
It sounded like “a body being thrown against the wall,” the neighbor said, according to the complaint. After that, the apartment was quiet.
On Friday morning, the neighbor said, she saw a man drive off Suhrheinrich’s black Ford Escape. Her car was towed from a nearby apartment complex and later recovered by authorities, who found blood in it.
McDonald was arrested early Wednesday after police found him standing in the roadway on Lockwood. He was in an excited state, removing his clothes, and was apparently under the influence of drugs, Sandoval said. He was taken to the hospital and will be interviewed later, the lieutenant said.
When police checked McDonald’s ID, there was already a warrant out for McDonald’s arrest in the slaying of Suhrheinrich, Sandoval said.
“It’s one more incident of family violence here, domestic violence, that led to murder,” Gonzalez said. “These situations happen way too often so we remind the public that if they’re caught up in a situation like that to please reach out.” However, authorities said they do not have a motive in Suhrheinrich’s death.
Sandoval said that McDonald has a lengthy criminal record, including past assault charges. His record dates back to 1990, according to the Harris County District Clerk.
His latest charges, both misdemeanors, came in 2003 for evading detention and unlawful carrying of a weapon, according to the district clerk.
McDonald also served time for felony charges of possession of a controlled substance, PCP, in 1998 and delivery of cocaine in 1994. He was previously convicted on felony charges of cocaine possession with an intent to deliver in 1992.
He has multiple misdemeanor charges filed against him, including assault causing bodily injury, possession of marijuana and theft.
Houston police and Harris County authorities had information leading to the general location, Gonzalez said. The body showed obvious signs of trauma, according to the Harris County Sheriff ’s Office.