A missing 8-year-old boy has been found safe and his father has been jailed on murder charges in connection with the slaying of the child’s mother, Texas police said.
Michael Dean Davis Jr. was arrested last week in Laredo, a city on the Mexican border in south Texas, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release. The sheriff’s department is located in Centerville, a city about 400 miles northeast of Laredo.
Davis, 27, was taken to the Webb County Jail, where he was being held Monday on $3 million bond in connection with the death of Mahogany Washington, 27, officials said.
According to authorities, Washington’s family alerted the sheriff’s office on June 19 that they had not seen or heard from her or her son since July 2022.
Washington and her son were subsequently reported missing to the National Crime Information Center, officials said.
Remains of a woman found on property in Buffalo
On October 22, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence in Buffalo, Texas, where the remains of an individual were recovered. The city of Buffalo is located approximately 15 miles northwest of Centerville.
The remains were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification and were identified as belonging to Washington, according to Laredo County police.
The investigation then led to a search for Davis, who officials said they suspected of her murder.
Officials have not released Washington’s cause of death.
Suspect, missing 8-year-old found in Laredo home
On Nov. 12, the sheriff’s office, Laredo police and U.S. Marshals confirmed that Davis and his 8-year-old son were living at a home in south Laredo, Laredo police reported Nov. 12.
“The investigation determined that Davis was likely armed and posed a possible threat to his son,” police wrote in an email to USA TODAY. of approach was created and implemented on November 12, 2024.”
Officials from multiple local, state and federal agencies monitored the home, about 130 miles from Buffalo. Davis was arrested around 7:30 p.m. when he came out to pick up his mail.
The 8-year-old child was found unharmed, taken for a medical evaluation and taken into custody by Child Protective Services, officials said.
During a search of the home, police reported finding AR-style rifles, a high-capacity double-drum magazine, ammunition, magazines, ballistic helmets, bulletproof vests and gas masks.
Laredo police said Davis lived in the home for about two years. The South Laredo home was discovered to be in “deplorable living conditions,” Laredo police reported.
Davis was extradited back to Leon County and taken to the Webb County Jail, officials said. He is being held on a $3 million bond.
It was not immediately known when he was scheduled to appear in court or whether he had retained a lawyer in the case.
USA TODAY has contacted the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the Leon County District Attorney’s Office and the Webb County District Attorney.
The investigation is ongoing, authorities said Monday.
– USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas man charged with murder of child’s mother. Both went missing in 2022