Elderly Texas couple’s bodies found at home 3 days after being shot dead, person of interest in custody
JOSHUA, TEXAS: On Thursday, October 6, authorities in Johnson County discovered the bodies of a couple named Mike Scarlett, 66, and Kay Scarlett, 68, who had been shot to death at their house in Joshua, Texas, located on Don Lee Road. According to the sheriff, they detained Samuel Paul Scarlett, their 28-year-old son, for allegedly stealing their car. However, KDFW reported that he has not been charged with the murders at this time and that no other people of interest are being sought. The medical examiner's office stated that the couple was murdered on Thursday afternoon after suffering multiple gunshot wounds and dying on the scene at their home.
The Scarletts' house had already been visited by police twice before due to requests for welfare checks made by concerned family members but the knocks on the door went unanswered, as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The couple's relatives kept calling the police, who eventually visited the couple's house on Thursday and the sheriff determined that the couple had been dead for at least three days.
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The couple's truck was reported stolen but it was found at the Texas Health Huguley Hospital parking lot in Fort Worth. It is thought that the suspect drove away from the site in the vehicle.
According to information obtained by NBC 5, Mike was a "beloved" filmmaker and performer. He even had plans to attend a film competition on Sunday in Richardson, which is where his movie, 'The Cabin', was scheduled to be exhibited. "I was completely in shock because I had just talked to Mike a couple of days ago," said Israel Luna founder of Rack Focus Fim Competition. "Just a very kind-hearted person and you wouldn't think that with his on-screen personas because he was a filmmaker but he was also an actor and he always did cop roles and he loved westerns and stuff like that. Yeah, very sweet guy," Luna added.
In a public message that they published with NBC 5, the victims' daughter Sarah Elizabeth and other son Michael expressed their gratitude to those who have offered them supportive words and thoughts, adding, "Right now we are dealing with an overwhelming loss. We are deeply hurt and still processing this tragedy." Meanwhile, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office is continuing its investigation to decide whether or not any charges will be brought forward.