by Adam Shear
UPDATE: WACO - The man accused of murdering his estranged wife and taking off with her daughter is in police custody.
Bryan Police Department arrested 36-year-old Carnel Petetan Jr. Tuesday night for shooting his estranged wife Kimberly Petetan, 41, to death.
According to Waco Police, before they arrived to the Landing Apartments, Petetan Jr. fled the scene and took his 9-year-old step daughter with him.
Petetan Jr. was later stopped in Bryan, with his step daughter in the car and he was arrested for allegedly murdering his estranged wife. Waco Police say he could also face aggravated kidnapping charges.
"Certainly if [his step daughter] was forced into the car there could be more charges," said Sgt. Patrick Swanton, Waco PD. "I don't know at this point whether she voluntarily went with him or was forced into the car, but we do know she's safe and she was not injured [Tuesday]."
Police say the girl is currently staying with her family in Bryan.
Petetan Jr. is currently in the Brazos Co. Jail on murder charges, but he will be moved to the McLennan Co. jail within the next few days.
By Christine McCarthy and Adam Shear
WACO- Police are investigating the murder of a woman at a Waco apartment complex, as officers also search for her missing 9-year-old daughter.
Police found the woman dead at her front door at the Landing Apartments at 2500 Lake Shore Dr. around 6:30 p.m.
Police are calling her ex-boyfriend or ex-husband a suspect, but they have not identified him and say that he fled the scene before they arrived.
"We're pretty sure we know where he's headed, but we don't know where he's at," said Sgt. Steve Graeter of the Waco Police Department. "We do have several addresses, so we just need to check. Some could be Central Texas, some are outside Central Texas."
Investigators believe the woman was walking down a flight of stairs when she was shot at least once and fell in front of the door, Graeter said.
Witnesses told police they saw the suspect walking around the apartment complex a few hours before the shooting occurred.
Police were not able to locate the victim's 9-year-old daughter who lived with her mother at the apartment. Police do not believe she is with the suspected shooter and they have an idea of where she might be.
Another bullet went through the wall of an apartment next door. Investigators are looking at the trajectory of the bullet to gather more information about the shooting.
