An Austin man has been charged with murder following the discovery of a decomposing body in a Lake Travis-area home. The Travis County Sheriff's Office states that deputies were dispatched to the home on the 16300 block of E. Lake Shore Drive for a welfare check on November 22 at approximately 2:19 p.m., as reported by FOX 7 Austin. The call for help came from a concerned family member who had not been able to get in touch with an elderly relative, a wheelchair-bound man in his 80s, for an extended time.
Upon arrival, deputies entered the home and found the elderly man's body in "advanced stages of decomposition". Chad Wayne Christopher, 37, was also found at the scene and promptly detained. He was later to swiftly be booked into the Travis County Jail facing a charge for first-degree murder. TCSO has revealed that Christopher is thought to be the caretaker of the deceased, as pointed out by the same FOX 7 Austin report.
Meanwhile, KVUE indicates that the identity of the victim has not been made public yet. Authorities are awaiting identification by the Travis County Medical Examiner and the notification of next of kin before releasing further details about the victim.
Investigators are currently urging anyone with potentially relevant information to come forward and help shed light on the circumstances surrounding this incident. They are asked to contact the TCSO Tip Line at 512-854-1444.
