Kerrville police are investigating the deaths of 64-year-old Wayne Ratliff and 62-year-old Shannon Ratliff after officers conducting a welfare check found two bodies Wednesday morning at a home in the 600 block of Lois Street. Officers were called at about 9:45 a.m. after concern that a man had not been seen for several days, according to Fox San Antonio.
The victims had apparent gunshot wounds, and both were pronounced dead at the scene, WOAI reported. Authorities are examining the deaths as a possible murder-suicide; WOAI reported that Wayne Ratliff is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Wellness Check Turns Into Death Investigation
The police response began with a welfare check rather than a reported shooting. Officers went to the residence after the man had reportedly not been seen for several days and found both Ratliffs dead inside.
Kerrville police have not publicly released a motive, a detailed timeline or Shannon Ratliff's cause of death. Those details, along with the circumstances of the deaths, remain under investigation.
Statewide context
For broader Texas context, the Texas Council on Family Violence reported that law enforcement responded to almost 200,000 family-violence incidents statewide in 2016—an average of more than 530 incidents per day—according to the council's report. That statistic concerns family-violence incidents generally; the verified information available for this article does not provide a Kerr County or Texas Hill Country count of intimate-partner homicides or a definition used to classify such cases.
What Remains Unknown
WOAI's initial report does not specify the relationship between the two victims beyond identifying them by name and age, nor does it include a case number, autopsy findings, or any additional statement from investigators. As the Kerrville Police Department continues its work, no further updates have been made public.
