A Quitman man is behind bars on a $1 million bond after a landlord found his wife dead in the bathroom of their home, with investigators pointing to a bloody shoeprint, a frantic text message, and a fleeing pickup truck as pieces of the case against him. Weldon Ray Powell is charged with murder in the death of his wife, Brittany May Powell.
Wood County Sheriff Kelly Cole said deputies opened a welfare-concern investigation after responding to a call on CR 1226 near Quitman on Wednesday, according to KLTV. When deputies arrived, they found circumstances that led them to believe a possible crime had occurred, and during the investigation they located Brittany Powell’s body, the station reported. KLTV identifies the victim as Britany May Powell, while East Texas Radio spells her name Brittany May Powell — the two outlets differ on the spelling. The sheriff’s office said the investigation remained ongoing, per the same KLTV account.
Landlord Discovers the Body, Calls 911
According to an arrest affidavit cited by CBS19, the Powells’ landlord checked on the home around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday after spotting a cat in a window, and found Brittany Powell dead in the bathroom. The landlord called 911, and the affidavit states that Weldon Powell sped away after seeing the landlord at the property. Deputies went on to arrest Weldon Powell in connection with the death.
The affidavit describes Brittany Powell’s body as sitting upright with her face toward the ceiling and her neck against the bathtub, with ice on top of the body and a towel over her face. Investigators reported a bullet wound on her left temple and said a blood smear was found on the door frame leading into the bedroom and bathroom. Based on the evidence, investigators believe Weldon Powell may have killed Brittany Powell elsewhere and dragged her body through the backyard and into the home. The affidavit also states that Weldon Powell’s shoes matched a bloody shoeprint found in the bathroom near his wife’s body.
A Text That Read 'Not Good'
Court documents allege that Brittany Powell had a physical altercation with her husband before her death. Per the arrest affidavit, she texted her sister that she was not good and would call as soon as she could — a message that came before her sister and brother-in-law lost contact with her for three days, CBS19 reported.
The brother-in-law told investigators that Brittany and Weldon Powell did not appear at their jobs or call their workplaces. He used the Life360 app to locate Brittany’s last known position near Lake Quitman on Wednesday, according to the affidavit. A person at the lake reported seeing Brittany Powell’s registered pickup truck about two hours earlier, and her phone had pinged in the area around 6 p.m. that day, the affidavit states.
Brother-in-Law's Calls Go Unanswered
About two and a half hours after reaching the lake, the brother-in-law called Weldon Powell, per the affidavit. Weldon Powell claimed he was running errands and that Brittany was at their house. The brother-in-law then called law enforcement after getting no response at the Powells’ home, and later called Weldon Powell again; Weldon eventually stopped answering.
Weldon Ray Powell now faces a murder charge with bond set at $1 million. The case fits into a broader pattern documented statewide: intimate partner violence homicides killed 161 Texans in 2024, including 137 women and 24 men, according to a Texas Council on Family Violence fact sheet. That report found at least one domestic violence homicide occurred in 42 Texas counties in 2024, and that 104 children lost at least one parent to such killings that year.
