RICHMOND, Texas – A SWAT team standoff in Richmond ended Sunday afternoon after a husband who was barricaded in his home killed his wife and then took his own life, Fort Bend County deputies said.
The incident started at 10 a.m. in the 1400 block of River Cliff Court in Richmond when a family asked officials to check on 48-year-old Sherilyn Burroughs.
Detectives said they made contact with 60-year-old Daniel Burroughs around 12:30 p.m.
Daniel told detectives that the couple's 4-year-old daughter was with her grandparents at the time of the killings. Sherilyn's whereabouts and welfare was unknown and Daniel was not giving law enforcement information on her.
Inside an upscale neighborhood, filled with grand gates, huge homes and manicured lawns, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s deputies spent Sunday collecting evidence and trying to determine why a husband would murder his transplant surgeon wife and then kill himself.
“What we have is a husband-wife situation. It looks like he took her life sometime Saturday evening and then died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound today”, says Detective David Williams.
Sherilyn was a respected transplant surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital.
She was a doctor who specialized in liver and kidney transplantation, liver surgery, liver disease and Crohn’s disease.
Officials said family members became extremely worried about her after her husband Daniel called them with frightening information about his wife Sunday morning.
“It was just some comments about that he was going to harm his wife or that he may already have done so,” detective Williams said.
After hours of trying to negotiate with the husband via cell phone, asking him if they could enter the house to check on Sherilyn, Fort Bend Sheriff’s Deputies, using an armored car with a battering ram, pushed open the front door to the house.
Moments later as they walked the house they heard a single shotgun blast and ran upstairs to the bedroom where they found Daniel dead.
He had shot himself in the head with a shotgun.
They found Sherilyn dead in the bathroom.
Investigators said they believe he actually killed her the night before and left her lying there.
Investigators have ruled the incident a murder-suicide.
The child is currently staying with relatives.
Deputies said there is no motive at this time.
Houston Methodist CEO Dr. Marc Boom sent this email to hospital employees where Sherilyn worked:
"I have some very sad news to share with you this morning. Sherilyn Gordon-Burroughs, MD, died under tragic circumstances this weekend at her home. Sherilyn, a transplant surgeon at Houston Methodist since 2009, was an excellent physician who was deeply devoted to her patients. Transplant patients often face a long, arduous road and Sherilyn was with her patients every step of the way. She was one of the surgeons who took part in our 12-patient kidney swap surgeries last summer. On a personal note, Sherilyn was also a loving mother to her daughter, Jasmine.
"Sherilyn was a gifted surgeon and mentor to residents, medical students and everyone on staff. She pushed everyone to excel professionally and academically. She wore many hats and wore them all well.
"Sherilyn was our first physician Designated Institutional Official. She took over as program director of the Houston Methodist Hospital Residency In General Surgery in 2012. She was incredibly passionate about medical education and training. She was a cornerstone of our graduate medical education program always going above and beyond for the residents. Sherilyn made a significant and lasting impact on Houston Methodist and will be sorely missed.
"Many of you knew Sherilyn and this is devastating news. We are a family at Houston Methodist and in times like this we can depend on each other for support. When we lose a member of the family, it is important to come together and remember and grieve. If you, or your department, need support in the coming days please feel free to reach out to our Spiritual Care Department by calling 713.441.2381.
"While Sherilyn died under dark circumstances, let’s instead choose to shine a light on her and celebrate her life and many accomplishments. Please join me and keep Sherilyn, her daughter, family, friends and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers today and in the future."