Inset from left to right: Cassandra Lange and Joby Williams (Medina County Sheriff”s Office). Background: A section of the 3300 block of County Road 265 in Mico, Texas (Google Maps).
Authorities in Texas have charged a stepdaughter and an accomplice in the tragic deaths of a couple, which allegedly occurred as the husband returned from work. The suspects, identified as 29-year-old Cassandra Lange and 30-year-old Joby Williams, are accused of the capital murder of 54-year-old Cherry Rehbein and her 58-year-old husband, Stephen Rehbein, the Medina County Sheriff’s Office revealed in a statement on Friday.
Currently, both Lange and Williams are held in custody by the sheriff’s department, each with a $1 million bond.
According to investigators, the alleged crime unfolded on a Monday at Cherry Rehbein’s residence, located on the 3300 block of County Road 265 in Mico, Texas. Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown disclosed the details to San Antonio’s ABC affiliate, KSAT.
Upon his return from work on that day, Stephen Rehbein was reportedly killed shortly after his wife.
Authorities confirmed that Cassandra Lange is the biological daughter of Cherry Rehbein, while Stephen Rehbein was her stepfather.
Lange was Cherry Rehbein’s biological daughter, and Stephen Rehbein was the younger woman’s stepfather, the sheriff’s office said.
Two days later, a co-worker of Stephen Rehbein’s reported that the man had not shown up for work, and deputies did a welfare check on his home.
“Upon arrival, deputies were unable to make contact with anyone at the residence; however, they observed evidence indicating possible foul play,” the law enforcement agency said.
That evidence was allegedly bloody items in a trash can outside the home. Authorities secured search warrants and began tracking vehicles belonging to the victims.
One of those vehicles was reportedly “located traveling in the Corpus Christi, Texas area,” about 2 1/2 hours southeast from Mico, which is a small community close to San Antonio. Law enforcement stopped the vehicle, where they said they found Lange, Williams, and two children inside.
Lange was the mother of both the 6-year-old girl and 1-month-old baby, but Williams was only the biological father of the infant, KSAT reported. The 6-year-old was transferred to the custody of her father, while the baby was placed in the care of state child workers.
The suspects were then detained and interviewed.
“During the interview, Lange confessed that she and Williams had killed her mother and stepfather and disposed of their bodies in a ravine,” the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators “immediately began a search in the Medina Lake area,” the agency went on. Though the search “proved challenging” at night, “deputies located two large black garbage bags concealed in a deep ravine,” recovered those, and the remains were sent off for autopsies.
On Friday, authorities said the investigation is ongoing.
