TIKI ISLAND, Texas — An apparent domestic dispute turned deadly Tuesday in what could be this island community’s first homicide in more than a decade, authorities said.
A 911 call alerted police to the body of a woman inside a two-story, elevated, canal-front home, Tiki Island Police Chief Jerry W. Wright said.
Police withheld the name of the woman, who was in her 60s, pending notification of her family, Wright said.
The woman’s husband, also in his 60s, was detained shortly after his 911 call to authorities, Lt. Tommy Hansen, a Galveston County Sheriff’s Office investigator, said.
No charges were filed against him as of early Tuesday morning. The husband was overheard sobbing, while speaking with authorities who were checking his hands.
Police received the call about 3 a.m. and arrived in the 1300 block of Tiki Drive, finding the woman dead of a gunshot wound to the head, Wright said.
"I’ve been here 11 years, and I don’t think we’ve had anything of that nature or a major crime, other than a suicide," Wright said.
Police do not believe the victim’s wound was self-inflicted, Wright said.
Sheriff’s Office investigators assisted police in collecting evidence.
"It appears to be the result of some domestic issue, but the root cause remains to be seen," Hansen said. "We have a white male in custody, and there are no other suspects sought at this time."
The couple lived for about five years at the house, Wright said, as investigators with the sheriff’s office searched the property for evidence. Investigators retrieved a handgun from the grass near a mailbox. The mailbox appeared to have been damaged, hanging to the side while barely connected to the street-front post.
"When the officers got here, they recovered a weapon in the yard," Hansen said. "We’re not sure yet, but we believe it was the weapon involved, a revolver."
It is believed the house, which has water access to Galveston Bay, was built about five years ago, Tiki Island Mayor Phillip Hopkins said. Hopkins, who has lived in Tiki Island for 13 years, couldn’t remember any incident of violent crime.
"It’s a quiet place," Hopkins said, while watching the investigation unfold.
This story was brought to you thanks to khou.com's partnership with The Galveston County Daily News.
