<\/p>\n
Leah Adams was a beautiful soul who loved to make people laugh, according to her family and friends. The 32-year-old was found dead in Palo Pinto County on Thursday, Aug. 27. A Mineral Wells man has been arrested and charged with her murder.<\/p>\n
Family photo courtesy of Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/p>\n
Leah Adams was a beautiful soul who brought love and laughter wherever she went, according to her family and friends.<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old mother of three was found dead in the Brazos River<\/a> in Palo Pinto County on Aug. 27. There was severe trauma to her face that investigators think may have been caused by a gunshot wound, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV. The victim\u2019s white Dodge Ram 1500 pickup was fully engulfed in flames nearby.<\/p>\n Michael Wayne Hatcher, a 50-year-old Mineral Wells man, was arrested the night of Aug. 27 and charged with Adams\u2019 murder.<\/p>\n According to the affidavit, Adams\u2019 brother told authorities the last known location for his sister\u2019s cellphone was a Mineral Wells address. Investigators visited the home in the 400 block of North Swanson Road and interviewed the occupants.<\/p>\n Hatcher and his girlfriend were the only people at the house. According to the affidavit, Hatcher told Texas Ranger Espinoza that he\u2019d met Adams the previous night while fishing at Oaks Crossing in the Brazos River. He said Adams \u201chad begun flirting with him,\u201d the affidavit states.<\/p>\n According to the suspect\u2019s account in the affidavit, the two had driven to a nearby gas station in Adams\u2019 pickup. Hatcher said Adams had also sat on the tailgate of his truck, but hadn\u2019t gotten inside.<\/p>\n Hatcher told Espinoza he and Adams were the only two at the river after midnight. He went home for a while, but returned to the river right before sunrise, he said. According to the affidavit, the suspect said he didn\u2019t see any sign of Adams, but her vehicle was still there.<\/p>\n Espinoza reported seeing a stain that looked like blood under the front left pocket on Hatcher\u2019s jeans, the affidavit states.<\/p>\n The suspect\u2019s girlfriend told investigators that she\u2019d seen Hatcher lying on a wooden bench on the front lawn early that morning. She said it was her red Ford F-150 that Hatcher had driven to the lake the previous night.<\/p>\n The girlfriend gave authorities permission to search the truck for Adams\u2019 cellphone, and one of the investigators found a backpack in the bed. A journal with Adams\u2019 expired driver\u2019s license inside fell out of the bag, according to the affidavit. Authorities also found a small drop of blood on the passenger seat.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce the victim\u2019s driver\u2019s license was located, the search was stopped until a search warrant would be able to be obtained,\u201d the affidavit states.<\/p>\n Investigators obtained a warrant and returned to the residence. They found several items during the search, including human hair, a blue shirt with a blood stain, a Taurus GX4 handgun, a backpack with Adams\u2019 belongings and a blue journal with the victim\u2019s expired driver\u2019s license, according to the search warrant return.<\/p>\n Hatcher is currently being held in the Palo Pinto County Jail without bond, according to jail records.<\/p>\n A loving mother<\/p>\n Adams\u2019 family said she loved her three young daughters. The victim\u2019s mother, Stacy Carnley, told WFAA they want to keep her memory alive<\/a> so her daughters will remember her.<\/p>\n \u201cShe does not need to be forgotten,\u201d Carnley said.<\/p>\n Adams worked as a phlebotomist for 10 years, according to her online obituary<\/a>. She was born and raised in Weatherford and graduated from Brock High School.<\/p>\n \u201cLeah will be remembered for her laughter, her big personality, her creativity, her love of nature and animals, and the countless memories she created with those around her,\u201d the obituary states. \u201cShe will be deeply missed and forever loved.\u201d<\/p>\n Multiple friends and acquaintances posted Facebook tributes to Adams.<\/p>\n \u201cShe had such a beautiful soul, and a smile and laugh that could make your worst day turn into a great day,\u201d one woman said. \u201cShe loved so hard, and trusted as a naive child would. I\u2019m absolutely shattered by the fact that someone took her light away.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was caring and genuinely sweet, and somehow, through everything life brought her, she never lost that childlike sense of whimsy,\u201d another person posted.<\/p>\n Adams\u2019 father, Troy Adams, told WFAA that the family needs more information about what happened to their daughter and sister.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s something big missing from the story,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s just something wrong with this picture. That\u2019s why I need answers so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n The investigation into Leah Adams\u2019 death<\/a> is ongoing, according to the Palo Pinto County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n This story was originally published September 3, 2026 at 4:06 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
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