Inset: Weldon Ray Powell (Wood County Sheriff’s Office). Background: Wood County Jail in Quitman, Texas (Google Maps).
A Texas man is jailed on allegations that he shot and killed his wife, covered her body with ice and left her in the couple’s bathroom for several days, according to law enforcement officials.
Weldon Ray Powell, whose age was not publicly available, faces one murder charge in connection with the death of Brittany May Powell, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office said.
The case began on Nov. 4, when authorities were contacted over concerns about Brittany Powell’s welfare. She was found dead later that day inside the couple’s home in Quitman, a small East Texas community about 95 miles east of Dallas.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Nacogdoches-based CBS and CW Plus affiliate KYTX and Tyler-based ABC and Telemundo affiliate KLTV, the woman’s brother-in-law became concerned after going three days without hearing from her.
The brother-in-law told investigators that the silence followed a recent physical fight between Powell and his wife. In the days before her death, Brittany Powell had texted her sister that she “was not good,” the affidavit states.
At about noon that day, the brother-in-law used the family’s Life360 location-sharing app and found that Brittany Powell’s last reported location was near Lake Quitman, slightly more than 5 miles north of town, according to the affidavit.
He drove to the lake, where a witness reportedly told him Brittany Powell’s pickup truck had been seen there about two hours earlier, authorities said.
About 2½ hours later, the brother-in-law called Powell. The husband allegedly said he was running errands at a specific store and claimed his wife was at home. When the brother-in-law went to the store, however, he did not see Powell’s pickup outside, according to investigators.
He then went directly to the couple’s residence, knocked and shouted for someone to answer. After receiving no response, he called law enforcement. He later spoke with Powell again, and the husband allegedly continued to insist that Brittany was inside the house.
Investigators determined at approximately 6 p.m. that Brittany Powell’s phone was pinging near the lake, authorities said.
At about 6:45 p.m., the property owner told law enforcement he believed he saw a cat inside the residence and planned to enter to check on it, according to the sheriff’s office.
While on the phone with 911, the landlord discovered Brittany Powell’s body in a bathroom.
The landlord also reported seeing Powell drive toward the home before quickly leaving after the two spotted each other, the affidavit says.
Deputies located and arrested Powell later that same day.
Investigators said a pair of shoes belonging to Powell appeared to match a bloody footprint found on the bathroom floor near his wife’s body, according to the affidavit.
Brittany Powell was found sitting upright with her face tilted toward the ceiling. Her neck rested against the side of the bathtub, and ice covered her body, with a towel placed over her face. A bullet was lodged in her left temple, according to the charging document.
Authorities also found blood smeared across the floor and the door frame separating the bedroom from the bathroom. The evidence suggested that the body had been dragged. Investigators’ preliminary theory is that Brittany Powell was killed somewhere outside the home, brought through the backyard, pulled up the rear porch and dragged inside, according to the affidavit.
Powell remains held in the Wood County Jail on a $1 million surety bond, jail records show.
The post Woman told sister she ‘was not good’ before her husband shot and killed her, covered her with ice and a towel, then kept her body in the bathroom for days, authorities say first appeared on Law & Crime.
