On December 5, 2023, Katherine Short, 56, and her daughter Lauren Short, 30, were shot and killed inside their Austin, Texas, home on Austral Loop during a violent crime spree. Katherine’s husband saw a man forcefully enter the residence on a live security feed and called 911; Austin Police Department officers responded to a reported burglary in progress. A detective encountered the intruder, identified as 34-year-old Shane James, in the backyard; James fired, wounding the detective, then fled in a vehicle taken from the Shorts’ home.

After a high-speed pursuit James crashed at the intersection of SH 45 and FM 1826 and was taken into custody. Both women were found inside the house with fatal gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts. Katherine had been a volunteer at the local elementary school library and Lauren was a Texas A&M alumna and book editor.

If anyone has information about the attack or the victims’ final hours, please share what you know with investigators.