Family in "disbelief" over slain Arlington couple

A week before an elderly Arlington couple was found dead in their apartment, they told relatives that someone had banged on their door in the middle of the night, a family friend says.

The wife also told family members that it looked as if someone had tampered with the screen on a window, said Cindy Dao, the family friend.

Huong Ly, 63, and her husband Long Nguyen, 72, were found dead about 7:30 a.m. Sunday in their apartment in the 3600 block of Waverly Drive. A family member couldn't reach the couple, found an open window and called 911.

The wife was found on the floor of a closet, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's website.

The deaths are being investigated as homicides, police said, but the cause and manner of death have not yet been determined.

Oak Farms Dairy will pay $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and grand jury indictment of whoever is responsible, police said.

The wife told relatives about a week ago that she awakened around 3 a.m. to the sound of someone knocking on her apartment door, Dao said.

"She got up and she just saw a dark figure through the blinds and she knocked back, I think just to try and scare him away," Dao said. "She told her kids about it, and they told the landlord and management about it, and that was it."

The couple was last seen returning home about 11 p.m. Saturday after attending a gathering with other family members, Dao said.

The couple came to Arlington from Vietnam with their three children about 12 years ago and "hoped to live their American dream," she said.

The wife owned a sewing shop in Arlington, but relatives do not want to disclose the name of the business because they are fearful for their safety.

The family "is just in disbelief that something like this could happen," Dao said. "You always think that you're safe."

Funeral arrangements for the couple are pending, she said.

Staff writer Sarah Bahari contributed to this report.

Alex Branch, 817-390-7689

Twitter: @albranch1

This story was originally published June 11, 2012 at 10:33 AM with the headline "Family in "disbelief" over slain Arlington couple."