Displaying items by tag: death

Child dies in Magnolia house fire

Friday, 14 December 2012 20:49

A fire broke out at a home near Magnolia in the early morning hours Dec. 8. A toddler, Dakota Myers was killed in the blaze, Montgomery County’s first fire-related death this year.

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A young boy was found dead by Magnolia firefighters, after a large house fire Dec. 8.

Fire officials identified the boy as Dakota Myers, 3, of Magnolia. He was found in a back bedroom of a travel trailer that had been converted into a permanent residence.

The fire started at the home on Todd Road, just after 1 a.m. Firefighters responded within minutes and tried to rescue the boy, but heavy fire conditions forced them out of the residence. Family members had also tried to rescue the boy, but were unable due to heavy smoke and fire.

The travel trailer had a wooden addition built onto it.

A 10-year-old boy and an adult were treated at the scene by Montgomery County Hospital District emergency workers for smoke inhalation.

“The first arriving Magnolia Fire Department units found that the fire had fully engulfed the travel trailer and addition built on to it,” a Montgomery County Fire Marshal press release stated. “The fire was so intense that no search was possible until it was brought under control.”

The 10-year-old boy was sleeping when the fire broke out. He told fire investigators that he woke up to find the fire in an area where Dakota Myers has been sleeping.

The boy’s mother stated that she was outside of her next door neighbor’s home with several other people when they saw the fire. Family members and neighbors ran to the home, but were unable to get inside. The 10-year-old boy was able to escape the home.

Fire officials said the investigations into the cause of the fire and Myers cause of death are still ongoing. They are awaiting additional test results.

They have yet to find evidence that the home was equipped with working smoke detectors.

“Each year approximately 3,000 lives are lost to fire in the United States with 85 percent of the deaths occurring in home fire,” fire officials stated. “The common theme in nearly all fatal fires is that they break out while the residents are asleep and there are no working smoke detectors.”

Although Montgomery County averages five to six fire deaths a year, this is the first fire fatality of 2012.

Published in Top News

East Texas toddler found dead in woods after game

Wednesday, 22 August 2012 16:07

WINONA, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a 2-year-old East Texas boy who disappeared while playing hide-and-seek has been found dead in some nearby woods.

The Smith County Sheriff's Office says the body of Jake Kimbley was located Wednesday morning near Winona.

Investigators say Jake was playing with another youngster Tuesday afternoon when he turned up missing. Searchers on foot and using horses spent the night looking for the child, whose body was found about 12 hours after he disappeared.

Sheriff's officials did not immediately provide additional details Wednesday.

Published in Around Texas

Missing former Texas House member found dead

Monday, 27 August 2012 16:52

DALLAS (AP) — A former Texas state representative was found dead in Harlingen on Sunday, three days after he was reported missing from an assisted-living facility.

The body of Don Lee, 78, was found by his youngest son, Clayton, in a brushy area just under a mile from the facility that reported the elder Lee missing on Thursday.

Harlingen police spokesman Sgt. John Lee Parrish said an autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death. He said police also will investigate how Lee, who suffered from dementia, diabetes and other medical conditions, was able to leave the facility.

"There will be a lot more answers eventually," Parrish said.

Family members said Lee, who served three terms in the Texas House in the 1980s, moved into the facility only last Monday. He had lived alone for many years in Austin and was somewhat reluctant to be in an assisted-living situation, they said.

"He just had a natural desire to be home, and he hadn't had a chance to acclimate to his environment," Clayton Lee said.

Clayton Lee said his father, a Democrat, was a champion of the issues important to the South Texas district he served, which covered Cameron and Hidalgo counties. Those included better standards for buildings in hurricane-prone areas and increased funding for education.

"He was a zealous advocate for anything that helped the Rio Grande Valley," the younger Lee said.

Clayton Lee said his father left politics after losing his seat in the Legislature in a close race in 1986. He then went to work for the Texas Department of Insurance, where he supervised field inspectors until his retirement in 1994.

Published in Around Texas

Austin police fatally shoot man with rifle

Wednesday, 24 April 2013 14:51

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Police in Central Texas have shot and killed a man who aimed a rifle at officers answering a call about him threatening suicide.

Austin police Chief Art Acevedo says four officers who opened fire Tuesday night have been placed on administrative leave with pay.

Police received a report of a man threatening to kill himself and his roommate. Investigators say the suspect had a rifle and told police to leave. Authorities say the suspect appeared to be preparing to open fire when he pointed the rifle at police — who then shot him.

No officers were hurt. The name of the man who died wasn't immediately released.

Police are also investigating whether reports of shots fired early Tuesday in the same Austin neighborhood were linked to the suspect.

Published in Around Texas