Two young girls killed; mother faces capital murder charge

A mother of two young girls is accused of opening fire on them early Thursday at a residence near Payne Springs, killing both them, the sheriff said.

Sarah Nicole Henderson was in the house when authorities arrived on the scene, Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said Thursday in a telephone interview.

“It’s being considered family violence,” Hillhouse said. “She’s being charged with capital murder.”

The sheriff did not comment on a motive for the shooting.

Henderson, 29, was in the Henderson County Jail Thursday. Henderson County is about 50 miles southeast of Dallas.

The incident began about 11:29 p.m. Wednesday when an emergency medical team contacted the sheriff’s office, asking for assistance on a possible suicidal woman at the home near Payne Springs.

Hillhouse said Henderson, a man and her children lived in the home. The man was not the father of the girls. No other children were in the home.

Paramedics later canceled the call, but deputies arrived about 11:45 p.m. A man and a woman told the deputies they were fine and no one was in danger.

But early Thursday, a man called 911 to report a woman had shot her children in their home, the sheriff said in a news release.

The girls were taken to Dallas for autopsies, Hillhouse said.

Along with the sheriff’s office, officials with Child Protective Services, the Texas Rangers and the Henderson County District Attorney’s office are assisting in the investigation.

“The family has had previous contact with CPS in 2010 but not recently,” CPS spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales said Thursday in an email. “Details of those interactions are confidential.”

This story was originally published November 2, 2017 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Two young girls killed; mother faces capital murder charge."