A Texas mom shot her 10-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, killing one, before turning the gun on herself on Thursday, police say.
Chelsee Dodd, a 43-year-old resident of New Braunfels, opened fire on her son, Trace, and teen daughter on the morning of December 17, according to the New Braunfels Police Department. Police said they responded to the home shortly before 10 a.m. on a report of a possible gunshot victim. The New Braunfels authorities found all three victims with gunshot wounds, the Department said in a Facebook statement on Thursday.
Dodd and her son were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Her daughter was found unconscious and rushed to a nearby hospital to be treated for a possible life-threatening injury, according to the Department.
The incident is being investigated as “an apparent homicide/suicide,” New Braunfels police said.
“Officers arrived on scene and found three people suffering from gunshot wounds in what is being investigated as an apparent homicide/suicide,” the Department wrote. “A 16-year old female was found conscious and breathing with a serious, possibly life-threatening gunshot wound and she was transported by ground EMS to University Hospital.”
A motive for the shooting has not yet been revealed by police. Autopsies for Dodd and her son have been ordered, the New Braunfels Police Department added on Facebook, writing:
The New Braunfels Police Department Criminal Investigations Division (C.I.D.) is investigating this case as an apparent homicide/suicide. Preliminary results of the investigation indicate that the two juveniles (who are brother and sister) are victims in this case and the adult female (who is their mother) is the suspect. Justice of the Peace for Pct. 2 Rick Walker has ordered autopsies for the two deceased and the case remains under investigation.
Here’s what you need to know:
Dodd Was a Successful Real Estate Agent
According to Dodd’s LinkedIn, she was working as a real estate agent for Fathom Realty in San Antonio at the time of her death.
She began working at the company in January of this year, the page indicates.
Dodd previously worked for nine months as an agent at Taylor-Elliott Real Estate in New Braunfels and as a licensed realtor for a year at Keller Williams Realty, Inc. in Waco, according to her LinkedIn. Her Facebook says she earned a bachelor of business administration degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and went to Tom C. Clark High School.
Dodd frequently posted about her real estate work on her personal and professional Facebook pages.
In a November 13 post on her professional page, she expressed her love for the profession, writing:
I ❤️ Real Estate & helping others make their Real Estate dreams a reality!! Call me, I would love to help you Sell or Buy in the Texas market!! #txchels
Dodd Wished Everyone ‘Peace in the New Year’ on Facebook 2 Days Before the Shooting
On December 15, Dodd updated her personal Facebook cover photo to a picture of her two children with a caption that wished everyone “peace” in 2021.
“May you all find PEACE in the New Year! Merry Christmas from The Dodds! #horseshoebay #2020,” she wrote.
The picture is the most recent visible post on her personal Facebook account, which is private.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with assistance in English and Spanish. You can also speak with a trained crisis counselor 24/7 by texting HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.
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