Albert Bert Howie, 54, was found dead at a home on Capehart Circle in Ingleside on Memorial Day morning. Howie was a longtime firefighter and paramedic who had worked with Aransas County EMS, Tri-County EMS, Port Aransas EMS, and volunteered with the Rockport and Ingleside fire departments. He had celebrated his birthday with family the day before; friends and colleagues planned a memorial at the Port Aransas Civic Center the following week.

Police located a 29-year-old woman at a different address on Westlake Circle; investigators reported she had ingested narcotics and was taken for medical clearance before transfer to jail. Authorities recovered a possible murder weapon and said early findings pointed to a love-triangle motive involving Howie, the suspect, and a third family member. The suspect, Ashley Nicole Transmeier, an off-duty Corpus Christi Independent School District police officer, was arrested and faces a first-degree murder charge; her department placed her on unpaid administrative leave following the arrest.

Neighbors and fellow first responders remembered Howie for a warm smile, steady hands, and years of service in the Coastal Bend. If anyone knew Bert Howie, his routines, or observed anything relevant in Ingleside around Memorial Day, please share information with investigators.