Authorities said two bodies were found after deputies traced a victim’s vehicle to Corpus Christi.
MICO, Texas — Deputies searching steep brush country near Medina Lake found the bodies of Cherry and Stephen Rehbein in black garbage bags after a welfare check exposed signs of violence at their home, authorities said.
The discovery came after a two-day gap between the suspected killings and the moment deputies reached the couple’s home in Mico. Cassandra Lange, 29, and Joby Williams, 30, have been charged with capital murder of multiple persons. Lange is Cherry Rehbein’s biological daughter, and Stephen Rehbein was her stepfather, according to the Medina County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Randy Brown said the evidence path began at the house, moved through a traffic stop near Corpus Christi and ended in a ravine not visible from the road.
The Rehbeins lived in the 3300 block of County Road 265, a rural stretch in Medina County. Brown said investigators believe the killings happened Monday evening. Cherry Rehbein, 54, was killed first, he said. Stephen Rehbein, 58, was killed when he returned home from work. The sheriff did not give a final cause of death. He said the medical examiner would decide that after autopsies, but investigators recovered multiple weapons and believe strangulation and a knife played a role. The sheriff also said items were taken from the home, including guns, money, tools and a vehicle.
The first official response came Wednesday, April 8. Stephen Rehbein had missed work, and a co-worker contacted the sheriff’s office. Deputies arrived at the home around 1 p.m. and could not reach anyone inside. Brown said a deputy noticed bloody items in a trash can placed at the curb. That discovery prompted a larger response. Criminal investigators arrived, found more signs that a crime had occurred and obtained a search warrant. The home became the center of a case that still lacked two key facts: where the couple was and who had their vehicle.
Investigators used available technology to locate one of the Rehbeins’ vehicles in the Corpus Christi area. The distance from Mico gave the case a wider footprint within hours. The Corpus Christi Police Department’s gang unit stopped the vehicle Wednesday afternoon. Lange and Williams were inside, authorities said. So were Lange’s 6-year-old daughter and 1-month-old infant. Williams is the infant’s biological father, but he is not the biological father of the 6-year-old, officials said. The older child was turned over to her father, and the baby was placed with Child Protective Services.
Brown said Williams had a fresh hand wound when officers stopped the vehicle. The injury had required stitches at a medical facility in San Antonio. A Medina County chief deputy and a Texas Ranger traveled to Corpus Christi to interview the suspects. Brown said Lange confessed that she and Williams killed her mother and stepfather and dumped the bodies in a ravine. He said Williams initially gave an inconsistent statement. By about 7 p.m. Wednesday, Lange and Williams were in custody. The arrest timeline meant less than six hours passed between the welfare check and both suspects being detained.
The search that followed was shaped by the terrain around Medina Lake. Brown said deputies looked through ravines and dry creek beds during the night after Lange’s statement pointed them toward the area. The region includes brush, steep slopes and places that cannot be seen clearly from nearby roads. Early Thursday morning, April 9, a deputy spotted what looked like trash near FM 1283. Deputies went through cedar brush and descended about 73 feet into a ravine. At the bottom, they found two large black garbage bags. The sheriff’s office said the bags contained the Rehbeins’ bodies.
Fire personnel helped deputies recover the remains from the ravine. The bodies were taken to the medical examiner’s office for autopsies, a key step because officials had not released the exact cause or manner of death beyond the homicide allegations. Brown said the search was challenging at night, and the location could not be seen from the roadway. That detail became central to the investigation because it suggested the bodies had been deliberately concealed. Investigators have not said how long the bodies had been in the ravine or whether any physical evidence was recovered along FM 1283.
The search did not end with the recovery of the bodies. Brown said investigators were trying to trace stolen firearms and check pawn shops for other missing property. The sheriff said he could not speculate on motive. The stolen items may help investigators build a timeline for what happened after the killings and before the vehicle was stopped. They may also show whether any suspect tried to sell or hide property taken from the home. Authorities have not said whether they recovered all of the missing guns, money or tools, and they have not released a full inventory.
The criminal case began with bonds that were lower, then later rose to $1 million surety for each suspect. Lange was moved back to Medina County on April 8. Williams remained in the Nueces County Jail pending transfer at the time of the sheriff’s Friday news conference. Both suspects face the same capital murder charge. Court records and later filings are expected to show whether prosecutors allege the killings were tied to robbery, concealment, family conflict or some other motive. At this stage, officials have not said why the Rehbeins were killed.
The investigation now depends on autopsy findings, property tracing and additional interviews. The sheriff’s office has said the case remains active, with no final motive released and no public explanation yet for the Monday evening violence at the Rehbein home.
Author note: Last updated May 4, 2026.