The Jim Wells County Sheriff’s office said 33-year-old Sosten Ray Contreras was found shot and killed inside a home in Alice.
Deputies responded to a call at 9 a.m. Saturday of a man who had shot himself. It is believed that the man, Contreras, was a murder suspect in the death of 28-year-old Melissa Arredondo.
Arredondo’s body was found at about 8:45 a.m. Friday just off the roadway on County Road 353, about 3 miles east of Orange Grove. Arredondo was pronounced dead at the scene by the local justice of the peace.
After examining the crime scene, deputies believed that foul play was involved in Arredondo’s death and that a homicide had occurred.
An investigation was launched and through the use of departmental resources, a suspect was identified. During the course of the investigation, sufficient probable cause was obtained to secure an arrest warrant for capital murder for Contreras.
Jim Wells sheriff Daniel J. Bueno told the Alice News-Journal that Contreras was the father of Arredondo’s children, but the two were estranged.
Bueno told the News-Journal that Arredondo’s death stemmed from ongoing domestic violence.
“Jealousy and family violence…” Bueno told the newspaper. “It had been going on for some time, and this is exactly why we emphasize that if you’re the victim of family violence, you need to get help.”
