HOUSTON — A man accused of choking the mother of his two children to death has been charged with murder, according to the Houston Police Department.
Investigators said the kids are with Child Protective Services after their mother died at the hands of her common-law husband.
It happened Tuesday night at the Sonesta Extended Stay Suites on Bay Area Boulevard in southeast Houston.
Police said it all started as an argument between the couple just two hours before the mom was killed. The young mom and dad were arguing over child custody when officers were called out to the area around 8:30 p.m.
After they thought everything was resolved, police left. However, they were called back around 10:30 p.m. and found the woman had been choked. She later died at the hospital.
Police said the father claimed he was trying to stop her from harming one of their children.
"He thought she was choking the baby or the child," HPD Lt. Wilkens said. "Not sure which one yet. He got behind her to put her in a chokehold to stop her. She went unconscious and that's when he called us."
CPS has the 1- and 3-year-old kids in their care as they look for possible family members in the Houston area to take care of them.
Help for domestic violence victims
Domestic and family violence cases in the Houston area have increased at an alarming rate. The Houston Area Women's Center says its crisis hotline has seen a 20-percent increase in calls, which means 9,000 additional calls.
"I will be very transparent and say that our average wait time is about five minutes, but if there is an influx of very serious calls we are going to need to be on the phone for a very long time," HAWC CEO Emilee Whitehurst said.
Whitehurst attributes the wait times to staffing shortages and how long each call can take. But she urges victims, who often suffer in silence, to make that call and not hang up.
"If people have to wait, we encourage them to do so -- because on the other end will be a trained advocate who will believe you, who will support you, you will never feel shamed," she said.
The Houston Area Women’s Center has a 24-hour hotline for victims of domestic violence at 713-528-2121 or 1-800-256-0551.
The Family Time Crisis Center can also be reached 24 hours a day at 281-446-2615.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
Crisis Text Line: Text START to 88788.