73-year-old dad found dead in bathtub in home son set on fire, Texas cops say

A man accused of setting fire to his home with his father inside was seen driving away just seconds before smoke exited the house, Texas authorities say.

The father, 73-year-old Floyd Hadley, called 911 but was unable to escape the July 21 blaze in Baytown, according to the Baytown Police Department.

The home was engulfed in flames when first responders arrived, according to police.

Hadley was found dead in a bathtub, according to court documents, which showed a preliminary autopsy indicated he had smoke in his lungs.

Clinton Hadley, the victim’s 40-year-old son, is now charged with felony murder, court records show. He is accused of setting the home ablaze before fleeing to Louisiana, where he was arrested in an unrelated incident.

A day before the fire, Clinton Hadley’s aunt called 911 and asked for a welfare check at the home because he had made comments “about setting the home on fire,” police said. It’s unclear what became of the welfare check.

As crews investigated the fire scene, police said they saw the home’s gas meter was broken or tampered with.

A man was seen in a neighbor’s surveillance footage jumping a fence and entering a Toyota parked in the driveway, according to the court documents. Ten seconds after he drives away, smoke is seen in the back of the home.

The car was determined to belong to Clinton Hadley, who was arrested July 23 after authorities in St. Tammany Parish in Louisiana say he caused “a disturbance at a local business.”

He was wearing the same clothing as the man seen exiting the Baytown home

In custody in Louisiana, he admitted to starting the Texas house fire, according to the court documents.

“Clinton admitted to detectives he knowingly and intentionally set fire to furniture in his room, before fleeing in his vehicle,” police said. “Clinton admitted he wanted to burn the house down and get away from his family.”

Baytown is about a 25-mile drive east from Houston.