Texas man accused of hiding wife's body in bathroom
A Wood County sheriff's affidavit details how a husband allegedly shot his wife in the head and kept her in the bathroom for days before a landlord found the body.
By Oliver Bennett ·
In rural Quitman, Texas, a husband was arrested on Wednesday for the murder of his wife, a case that began with a text message expressing concern and ended with a body discovered in a bathroom.
Wood County Sheriff's Office deputies charged Weldon Powell with killing Brittany Powell. The probable cause affidavit states that she was shot in the temple. Bloodstains on the floor indicated she was dragged from an outside back door into the bathroom. The documents allege Powell placed the body in the room and surrounded it with ice, leaving it there for several days.
Brittany Powell's sister and brother-in-law first raised a welfare concern with dispatchers on Wednesday. They had not heard from the victim for three days, a gap in communication described as unusual for the family. Their last direct contact occurred three days prior when Powell texted her sister that she was not good following a physical altercation with her husband. She promised to call as soon as possible but never did.
The brother-in-law used a Life360 app to track the family location. The last recorded position was near Lake Quitman three days earlier. He drove to the lake around noon on Wednesday to search for them but found no one. By 2:30 p.m., he called Weldon Powell, who answered and claimed he was running errands while his wife remained at the house. The brother-in-law drove past a store but did not see the truck. When he arrived at the home, Weldon Powell was not there.
The brother-in-law knocked and called out to Brittany Powell without success. He called Weldon Powell again, who repeated that his wife was inside. When the brother-in-law said he was calling the police, Weldon Powell appeared indifferent and stopped answering further calls. At approximately 6 p.m., dispatchers pinged the family phones. Brittany Powell's phone registered at Lake Quitman, a location that did not match the home address.
Forty-five minutes after the phone ping, the couple's landlord called dispatch. He had stopped by the house and became worried about pets left alone. Upon entering, he found Brittany Powell's body in the bathroom. The landlord said Weldon Powell arrived shortly after but sped away at high speed upon seeing him. Deputies located Powell near the front gate of Holiday Villages and took him into custody. He is currently held in the Wood County Jail on a one million dollar bond.
