A Bryan man is accused of suffocating his mother to death with a pillow.
47 year old Phillip Ortega was picked up in Conroe and remains in jail.
The victim, 79 year old Velma Bryant, was found in the home she shared with Ortega by his sister.
Officer Kelley McKethan says Ortega disappeared after the April 4 death and wasn’t seen until he was found in Conroe on April 17.
According to the arrest report, Ortega told Conroe and Bryan detectives he killed his mother, then he took her car and several items from the home and sold them for cash and drugs.
Quoting the arrest report, he told investigators he “just snapped” after arguing with his mother. And that led to the suffocation and theft.
Investigators are waiting for final autopsy reports. The preliminary cause of death was natural causes, but McKethan says but the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office is reviewing those findings.
Kelley McKethan visits with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.