Texas Mother Accused of Killing Two Children, Filling Her Gas Tank, and Driving With Their Bodies — Police Say Fifth Child Is Missing
BRAZORIA COUNTY, TEXAS — A Texas mother accused of shooting four of her five children, killing two of them, is now at the center of a chilling investigation after police revealed that her oldest child — a 17-year-old boy — is missing and unaccounted for.
Authorities say 31-year-old Oninda Romelus was charged with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a shocking sequence of events that began before dawn Saturday and ended at a gas station in Angleton, where she allegedly pumped gas with her children’s bodies in the car.
Mother Drove to Gas Station After Shooting Her Children
According to the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched after Romelus called 911 around 4:45 a.m., telling them to “meet her at the gas station”.
When officers arrived, they found four children inside a white passenger car, each suffering from gunshot wounds. Two of the children — ages 3 and 13 — were pronounced dead at the scene, while the two surviving siblings, ages 8 and 9, were airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston and are expected to survive.
Authorities later discovered that Romelus’s fifth child, a 17-year-old son, was not in the vehicle and has not been seen since the incident. A search warrant executed at her home turned up no trace of him.
Shocking Surveillance Video and Statement to Police
Investigators obtained surveillance footage showing Romelus arriving at the gas station, getting out of the car to refuel, and walking around calmly while talking on her phone.
“She is observed walking around to the driver’s side of the vehicle, where she peers into the rear window before sitting back in the driver’s seat,” the criminal complaint states.
Police say she then sat quietly in the car until officers arrived, finding two children already dead and two others clinging to life.
When questioned, Romelus appeared “paranoid and detached”, initially refusing to explain what happened. She then reportedly confessed, saying she shot her children because she feared “they were going to do it to me.”
“Instead of them doing it to me, I’m gonna do it to them,” she allegedly told investigators, later adding that her kids were “with the devil now.”
Fifth Child Still Missing
During a search of Romelus’s home, deputies found evidence indicating she may have been involved in identity fraud schemes — including 33 Social Security cards, 48 ID cards, 16 credit cards, and stacks of blank checks belonging to other people.
However, despite the extensive search, her 17-year-old son was nowhere to be found, and authorities say his disappearance remains a top priority.
“We’re doing everything we can to locate this young man and determine if he’s safe,” Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said in a statement.
The FBI and Texas Rangers have joined the search for the missing teen, whose name has not been publicly released.
Community Shocked as Investigation Deepens
Residents of the quiet Porter, Texas neighborhood where the Romelus family lived said the case has left them stunned and heartbroken.
“We never saw any signs of trouble,” one neighbor told local reporters. “The kids were always polite — this just doesn’t make sense.”
Romelus is currently being held in the Brazoria County Jail without bond as investigators continue to search for her missing son and analyze the items seized from her home.
This tragic case continues to unfold as police race to locate the missing child and uncover the motive behind one of Texas’s most shocking family killings in years. For ongoing updates on national crime and public safety stories, visit ChicagoMusicGuide.com.