Daughter and boyfriend charged after Texas couple found slain in ravine

A ravine near Medina Lake became the center of a double-homicide investigation after deputies found Cherry Rehbein and Stephen Rehbein dead and quickly moved to capital murder charges against Cherry’s daughter and her boyfriend. The bodies were recovered near Mico, Texas, about 35 miles northwest of San Antonio, turning a quiet stretch of western Medina County into the scene of a fast-moving murder probe.

The case broke open on April 8, when a coworker asked for a welfare check after Stephen Rehbein did not show up for work. Deputies went to the family home in the 3300 block of County Road 265 and were met with signs that something far worse than a missing-person call had happened. Investigators saw bloody items in a trash can at the curb, then uncovered more evidence that pointed to a violent crime inside the home.

Medina County Sheriff Randy Brown said investigators believe Cherry Rehbein was killed first, then Stephen Rehbein was killed later when he returned from work. Officials identified Cassandra Lange, 29, as Cherry Rehbein’s biological daughter and Stephen Rehbein’s stepdaughter. Joby Williams, 30, was also charged. Brown said Lange confessed that she and Williams killed the couple and dumped the bodies in a ravine, while Williams initially gave an inconsistent account.

The search widened fast. Authorities used available technology to track one of the victims’ vehicles to Corpus Christi, nearly 200 miles away, where police stopped it and found Lange and Williams inside with two children, a 6-year-old girl and a 1-month-old infant. The children were placed with family, and Child Protective Services became involved. Multiple weapons were recovered, and investigators said strangulation and a knife were involved, though the medical examiner has not yet finalized the official cause of death.

The charges carry real weight in Texas because prosecutors can pursue capital murder when more than one person is killed in the same criminal episode. That makes this case far more serious than a standard homicide filing, and it also explains the speed of the law-enforcement response from Medina County deputies, Texas Rangers and Corpus Christi police. Both suspects were later reported to be held on $1 million bonds, as investigators continued piecing together how a welfare check near Medina Lake led to two bodies in a ravine and a capital case built in hours.