Woman accused of killing 88-year-old Bandera man is still on loose, sheriff’s office says

Freda Michelle Thomas is suspected in slaying of Robert Isaacks

Image from Robert Isaacks’ doorbell camera in Bandera County on Nov. 15 marks the last time he was seen alive. (KSAT)

BANDERA COUNTY, Texas – For a few hours on Monday, the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office thought they had their woman.

The sheriff’s office announced that a suspect in the killing of an 88-year-old Bandera County man was in custody in Mexico. But hours later, they said the woman in custody wasn’t Freda Michelle Thomas.

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Thomas is accused of killing Robert Isaacks. She was identified and named as a suspect days after Isaacks’ body was found in Crockett County on Nov. 17.

Shortly after his family reported the man missing, the sheriff’s office declared his home a crime scene.

Images from Robert Isaacks’ doorbell camera on Nov. 15 mark the last time his granddaughter saw him alive. His family told KSAT at the time that they didn’t recognize the woman captured on that camera footage. Investigators identified her as Thomas and issued a murder warrant for her arrest.

On Monday, the Bandera County Sheriff’s Office said Thomas was in custody in Mexico and they were working on a transfer of custody.

The agency’s Facebook post was later edited to say the U.S. Marshals Service determined that the person in custody in Mexico was not Thomas.

Thomas remains on the loose. Anyone with information about the crime or Thomas’ whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 830-796-3771.

Related coverage on KSAT


About the Authors

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.

John Paul Barajas is a reporter at KSAT 12. Previously, he worked at KRGV 5 in the Rio Grande Valley. He has a degree from the University of Houston. In his free time, he likes to get a workout in, spend time on the water and check out good eats and drinks.

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