A 50-year-old Texas man is being held without bond after a trail of physical evidence connected him to a woman found dead in the Brazos River, investigators said.
Michael Wayne Hatcher, 50, of Texas, has been charged with capital murder in the death of 32-year-old Leah Dawn Adams, according to authorities.
Adams was discovered in the river near Mineral Wells, Texas, on August 27, officials said.
Nearby, first responders found her Dodge Ram pickup truck on fire, according to police.
Authorities soon began examining the circumstances surrounding Adams’ final hours, according to investigators.
Detectives also began looking into the people who had been with her before she died, police said.
Hatcher admitted that he had been with Adams at the river sometime after midnight, according to investigators.
The suspect allegedly maintained that he left the area and later returned without seeing Adams, records state. But the physical evidence subsequently discovered raised serious questions about that account, investigators said.
A Texas Ranger reportedly noticed what appeared to be a bloodstain on Hatcher’s jeans, according to authorities.
Authorities then moved to search the truck the suspect had allegedly been driving, records show.
Inside the vehicle, search teams discovered blood along with a bloodstained shirt, investigators said.
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Deputies also reportedly found a backpack containing a journal inside the truck, according to court documents.
Inside that journal was an item that connected the property directly to Adams: her expired driver’s license, investigators said.
The investigation then moved to Hatcher’s residence, according to authorities.
A search of the home uncovered additional bloodstained clothing as well as human hair, authorities alleged.
Investigators also reportedly recovered a handgun from inside the residence, according to police.
Detectives also seized another backpack containing additional personal belongings belonging to Adams, court records show.
The woman who lived with Hatcher provided investigators with information about his condition on the morning Adams was discovered, records state. She reportedly told authorities that she found him passed out on a bench in their front yard, according to the filing.
Hatcher was arrested the same day Adams’ body was discovered in the river, according to authorities.
The 50-year-old suspect was formally booked on a count of capital murder, according to court records.
The evidence described by investigators, including the alleged bloodstains, human hair and Adams’ belongings, will ultimately have to be presented and tested through the court process, records state. The defendant has been charged but not convicted, court documents note.
Hatcher remains incarcerated without bond, according to records.
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