Suspect In Woman's Death IDed: Travis County Sheriff

AUSTIN, TX — Police on Monday identified a suspect in the death of a woman found dead two weeks ago — a man later found dead as police were poised to arrest him.

The incident occurred in the morning of April 16 along the 600 block of Hickory Ridge, where Travis County Sheriff's Office deputies found an unresponsive Janice Hughes, 70 of Manchaca, Texas, in the back yard of a home. Hughes was pronounced dead at 10:01 a.m.

Nothing about the scene or the body appeared suspicious at the time, as there was no notable evidence of trauma. But after an April 23 autopsy, a small pellet was found in Hughes' lung, according to the Travis County Sheriff's Office. Further examination revealed a very small entrance wound., law enforcement officials said.

The pellet was determined to be the cause of death after the autopsy, sparking a homicide investigation.

Detectives learned from multiple witnesses that Hughes had been in an ongoing property line dispute with her neighbor, Daniel “Dan” Carnahan, 59. Witnesses described various ways in which Carnahan allegedly harassed Hughes, officials added. The dispute was further corroborated from multiple Travis County Sheriff's Office incident reports, officials said.

Previous coverage: Woman Found Dead Possible Homicide Victim: Travis County Sheriff

Officials noted Carnahan was the 9-1-1 caller who reported her death, and Hughes’s body was lying ten feet away from the property line between her property and Carnahan’s.Detectives executed a search warrant on Carnahan’s home and found pellets visually similar to the pellet obtained from Hughes’s body, officials said.

On Saturday, April 25, a warrant was issued for Carnahan’s arrest. The Travis County Sheriff's Office said it received a tip that Carnahan asked friends to give him gas money and a gun, adding that the tipster said Carnahan claimed what happened to Hughes was an accident and he could not go to jail. The tipster, law enforcement officials noted, refused to give Carnahan a weapon.

A law enforcement "be on the lookout" notice was distributed, officials said, and the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force was mobilized in an effort to locate Carnahan.

But on Monday morning, Carnahan's body was discovered by Hays County Deputies. Officials did not disclose the manner of his death.

The case remains open and will not close until all evidence has been fully processed and every possible lead has been thoroughly explored, officials said.