Texas husband arrested after wife's body found
Weldon Powell faces a murder charge after deputies located his wife's body in a Quitman home bathroom.
By Marco Whitaker ·
Wood County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Weldon Powell on Wednesday for the murder of his wife, Brittany Powell. The suspect is currently held in the Wood County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond. Arrest documents filed on Wednesday detail the sequence of events that led to the discovery of the victim.
Brittany Powell’s brother-in-law contacted dispatchers with a welfare concern after hearing nothing from his sister for three days. He noted that neither Powell nor his wife had arrived for their regular work shifts, a pattern he described as unusual. The family had last spoken to Brittany Powell three days prior, when she reported a physical altercation with her husband.
During that earlier conversation, the victim’s sister asked if she was safe. Brittany Powell replied by text that she “was not good” and promised to call as soon as she could. The brother-in-law tracked his sister’s location using the Life360 app. The last recorded position was Lake Quitman, where he traveled around noon on Wednesday to search for her but found no one.
At 2:30 p.m., the brother-in-law attempted to reach the couple again. Weldon Powell answered the phone and claimed he was out running errands while his wife remained at the house. The brother-in-law drove past the local store but did not see the suspect or his truck. He then proceeded to the couple’s residence in Quitman.
Upon arriving at the home, the brother-in-law found no one inside despite knocking and calling out. He contacted Weldon Powell by phone again, who repeated that his wife was present. The brother-in-law told the suspect he would call the police. Weldon Powell reportedly showed no concern and stopped answering subsequent calls.
Wood County dispatchers located the victim’s phone at Lake Quitman around 6 p.m. Approximately 45 minutes later, the couple’s landlord arrived at the house to check on the pets. He entered the residence and discovered Brittany Powell’s body in the bathroom. The landlord immediately called 911.
Deputies found blood marks on the floor leading from an outside back door into the bathroom. These marks indicated the victim had been dragged from the exterior into the house. The affidavit alleges Weldon Powell shot his wife in the temple, surrounded her body with ice, and left her in the bathroom for several days.
After the landlord called emergency services, Weldon Powell arrived at the home. He accelerated away at high speed upon seeing the landlord. Deputies tracked him to the front gate of Holiday Villages and took him into custody.
