A husband and wife are dead in southwest Bexar County. Deputies say it looks like a killing, then a suicide. The sheriff says it did not have to end this way.

Deputies got the call around 8:24 p.m. Friday. The home was in the 15000 block of Escalante Pass. That is near Highway 16 and Watson Road.

A relative went to check on the couple. She had not heard from them in a day. She walked in and found them both dead.

Sheriff Javier Salazar said the woman was 55 years old. She had at least one gunshot wound to her upper body. He said she is believed to be the victim. He said the man was 58. He appears to have shot himself. Deputies found a gun at the scene.

One bullet did not stay in the house. Salazar said a round went through the wall. It hit a neighbor's home. No one there got hurt.

The county will confirm how the couple died. The county will also confirm their names.

A case that got dropped

Salazar said his deputies believe the couple had a history of family violence. He said there was an old charge against the couple. It was a low level charge, not a felony. That case got dropped.

The reason it got dropped: they could not find a witness.

The sheriff did not say who was charged. He did not say when it happened.

But he made clear this is not a one time problem for Bexar County.

He said Friday's deaths make five killings tied to domestic violence this year. His office is looking into it now. Ten people have been killed in Bexar County this year. Half of those deaths link back to family violence.

Last year was not much better. Nine out of fifteen killings BCSO looked into in 2025 were tied to family violence too.

"It doesn't go away"

Salazar had a plain message for the community.

"We believe that there is a domestic violence history between the two, unfortunately," he said.

He said family violence is a crime that grows worse over time. He said it does not stop on its own.

"It doesn't go away," Salazar said.

He asked anyone facing family violence to call his office. The number is 210-335-6000. Family Violence Prevention Services can help too. Call them at 210-733-8810. The Bexar County Family Justice Center can help. Call them at 210-631-0100.

Anyone thinking ab