SABINE PASS, Texas — A daughter has been charged with murder in the death of her father in a Sabine Pass homicide investigation.
Kelli Sartin, 53, is in custody and has been booked into the Jefferson County Jail for the murder of her 81-year-old father, Hebert said.
The victim, Charles Sartin, was found Monday morning at around 4 a.m. Sartin was the longtime owner of Sartin's Seafood restaurant.
The investigation started after a Port Arthur Police officer went to the 5000 block of Tremont Street in Sabine Pass for a welfare check. The body was found upon entering the home, Port Arthur Police Officer Mike Hebert said.
Port Arthur Police brought the victim's daughter in for questioning after discovering the body. She was later booked on murder charges.
Investigators ruled the cause of death as blunt force trauma, but police are waiting for autopsy results to determine date and time of death, Hebert said.
"Judge Barnett has ordered an autopsy here, so we don't know the exact date and time of his death, but that will be in the near future I would think," Hebert said.
A family member told 12News they've been asking for a welfare check since last Wednesday, after hearing Charles was having a hard time getting around. The relative said they went to the house with two other concerned citizens, and were met by a Port Arthur police officer. The relative said they heard a moan, but the officer refused to kick the door down.
The relative said they called again the following day, and were told an officer knocked and no one answered. The relative said the family were told that was all officers could do. They said they've been requesting assistance from PAPD and Adult Protective Services for around two years now, but the more recent requests started the week before Charles' body was discovered. The family feels the death could have been avoided.
Port Arthur police did confirm they're looking into past calls for service to the home.
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