Longtime Denton County Commissioner and trailblazing Texas Republican Bobbie J. Mitchell was stabbed early Monday morning in a violent attack that left her hospitalized and her husband, Fred Mitchell, dead.

According to a press release from the Lewisville Police Department, officers responded to a 911 call about an assault in progress at around 3:53 a.m. in the 1000 block of Springwood Drive. When they arrived, they found Commissioner Mitchell and her husband suffering from multiple stab wounds.

The suspect, identified as Mitchell’s grandson, 23-year-old Michell Blake Reinacher, was still on scene and taken into custody without incident. Emergency personnel transported both victims to local hospitals.

While Commissioner Mitchell, 79, is currently listed in stable condition, her husband, Fred, was pronounced dead shortly after 5:00 a.m.

The Denton County Sheriff’s Office urged the public to pray for the Mitchell family in a social media post Monday morning, writing, “Please pray for Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell and her family.”

Police identified the suspect as the couple’s 23-year-old grandson, Mitchell Blake Reinacher. He was still at the home when officers arrived and was taken into custody without incident, police said.

Reinacher has been booked into the Lewisville Jail and is facing charges of Murder and Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the motive and circumstances behind the attack. The crime scene remained active throughout the morning as detectives processed evidence and interviewed witnesses.

Commissioner Mitchell, a Republican, has served Denton County with distinction for over two decades. First elected to the County Commissioner’s Court in 2000, she previously made history as the first Black mayor of Lewisville, serving from 1993 to 2000.

Her record of public service stretches back to the 1980s, where she began on the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment before advancing to the City Council and eventually the mayoral office.