Livingston man murdered, remains recovered

A Point Blank man has been charged with capital murder and burglary of a habitation after a standoff with authorities Thursday.

Tyler Lance Williams, 30, is in the Polk County Jail on two bonds totaling $1.1 million. In a Saturday press conference, Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said the investigation began Dec. 23 and spanned over three counties. With the help of the Montgomery County SWAT team, law enforcement was able to apprehend Williams.“We were certainly hoping for a better outcome, but this (Saturday) morning, we are here to update the public, to let them know that, unfortunately, we were not able to find our missing person, William McLain, alive,” Lyons said. “He is deceased. Our investigation had started as a burglary, and then arson, and is now growing into a capital murder case.”Lyons said other individuals are also “being looked into” and Williams’ charges have indeed been upgraded to capital murder. Williams also has a burglary charge, and it is expected that list will grow.

McLain’s remains were sent to the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office for a toxicity report. Law enforcement is still waiting for official word on how McLain was murdered. Williams and McLain were said to be associates and friends that had known each other for a short period of time. Any sort of motive is still being pieced together. Polk County Detective Craig Finegan said there are suspicions at this time that his office is attempting to verify.

“This thing all started initially as a house fire,” Lyons explained in the press conference. “It was basically a house fire that was reported to us, and the guys (law enforcement) went out thinking this was a basic house fire. Then, we received a missing persons report from the neighbors that they had not seen the owner, which was William McLain. They had not seen or heard from him at that time, which would have been about (Dec.) the 24^th. From that, it just evolved through investigative means. It just kept evolving into more, when we received information in reference to a burglary. The property had been burglarized before the fire.”The sheriff said there were concerns that began after the missing persons report, when a witness came forward with information. Williams was tracked to the mobile home of a friend on St. Lucia Lane in the Holiday Villages subdivision in Point Blank. There, a standoff lasting hours was ended in his arrest.The investigation spanned three counties, with the murder occurring in Polk County, remains transported to Liberty County, then a standoff in San Jacinto County. McLain’s home at 167 Switcher in Lake Livingston Estates was burglarized then set ablaze. A female said to be present, Jessy Erin Reeves, 33, of Onalaska, is currently incarcerated in the Polk County Jail for burglary of a habitation with a bond set at $50,000. A second female arrested Tuesday afternoon, Loretta Naomi Hardin, 29, of Onalaska, was booked on burglary of habitation and possession of a controlled substance charges.

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The victim’s remains were recovered by the Harris County Marine Division in Horseshoe Lake Estates, a subdivision in Liberty County near the Trinity River and town of Romayor.

“We received information that the remains could possibly be located in the river in a specific area of Horseshoe Lake Estates,” Finegan said. “The dive team performed a two-day search and recovered a body Friday morning.”

The investigation is not complete, but Lyons acknowledged the assistance of the Texas Rangers, Texas Department of Public Safety, Onalaska Police Department, Polk County Precinct 2 Constable’s Office, San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County SWAT, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, and Harris County Sheriff’s Office Marine Division.The sheriff said law enforcement is not actively looking for other individuals at this time, and that the public should feel safe knowing that there is no one else involved.