RICHMOND, TX (Covering Katy News) – Two Lamar Consolidated Independent School District teachers are dead, the victims of an apparent murder-suicide in Richmond.
The deceased are Alba Marina Garcia and her husband, Gene Mark Hudgson-Sjogreen. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Deputies investigators believe Alba was shot by her husband Gene. Both were 34 years old.
Garcia was a fourth-grade teacher at Long Elementary. Hudgson-Sjogreen taught third grade at Taylor Ray Elementary. Both were recognized for their work as teachers. Hudgson-Sjogreen was named 2022-2023 teacher of the year. Garcia was named staff member of the month for January.
"Preliminary research has not shown prior calls to this residence," a Sheriff's Office press release said.
Following a request for a welfare check, Fort Bend County Sheriff's Deputies visited a home in the 23300 block of Darst Field Trail in Richmond shortly before 3 p.m. on Monday, March 11, 2024. They found signs of a disturbance inside the home, entered, and discovered the bodies.
Covering Katy News
The home on Darst Field Trail in Richmond where the apparent murder suicide happened.
The husband's father believed his son left on Sunday on a fishing trip. He told deputies that no one had heard from him since.
"That's unsettling," neighbor Chris Martinez told KTRK. "You just never know what's going on behind closed doors."
Martinez says the couple was very private.
"They would leave and come home and close the garage door before exiting the car."
Students are on spring break, but there will be staff on campuses to offer counseling and support when classes resume on Monday. Anyone needing immediate support can call 832-223-HOPE(4673). Lamar CISD staff members can call 1-800-475-3327.
"Ms. Garcia's sudden and tragic passing leaves a void in our hearts and our hallways that words cannot adequately express," Long Elementary School principal Amey Frazier said in a Facebook post. "Her commitment to fostering a nurturing and inclusive learning environment made a lasting impact on Long Elementary. She believed in the potential of every child and worked tirelessly to ensure that her students believed in themselves, too."
Lamar's Superintendent wrote a letter to parents.
"We mourn the loss of not just colleagues but friends and educators who have touched the lives of many within our district," said Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens in a letter to parents. "During this time of grief, our prayers and deepest sympathies are with their families, friends, students, and all who knew them. We are reminded of the fragility of life and the importance of coming together as a community to support one another in times of grief."
An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
"Loss of life is an incomprehensible tragedy that affects us all," said Sheriff Eric Fagan. "Such events have profound and lasting effects, not only on the families directly involved but on the entire fabric of our society. We extend our deepest sympathies to everyone impacted by this profound loss."