SAN ANTONIO — A murder suspect remains on the run after the Bandera County Sheriff's Office erroneously said she had been taken into custody in Mexico.
Shortly after noon on Monday, the agency posted on Facebook that Freda Thomas, who is wanted for the killing of 88-year-old Robert Isaacks last fall, was arrested. As of 2:45 p.m., that post was updated with a correction reading: "UPDATE: UPON IDENTIFICATION FROM US MARSHALS SERVICE - The suspect in custody is NOT Freda Thomas."
The post has been shared more than 240 times. It's unclear how it came to be that the Bandera County Sheriff's Office reported incorrect information.
“I find it to be the worst April Fools Day information, misinformation that I’ve ever gotten," Isaacks' granddaughter, Stephanie Holan said Monday.
Meanwhile, the search continues for Thomas, who is suspected of killing Isaacks after he disappeared the morning of Nov. 15. His body was found in Crockett County on Nov. 17. Three days later, authorities confirmed the body was Isaacks.
According to officials, Isaacks was living with his daughter when he disappeared. Footage from her Ring camera video showed him entering their home with a woman, later identified as Freda Thomas, before Thomas is seen leaving alone through the back a few hours later.
A warrant was issued for Thomas, wanted for murder. Arrest documents reveal Isaacks was strangled to death before his body was found a few counties over, wrapped in a tarp that was duct-taped shut.
That arrest affidavit written by a Bandera County Sheriff's Office investigator says Isaacks' daughter reported that about $25,000 in cash was "missing from a safe in the house" and that "blood droplets" were found by law enforcement in multiple places at the residence. Additionally, cell phone records showed Isaacks and Thomas were in contact for more than a week before she allegedly killed him.
When authorities went to an area of town where Thomas, 45, was believed to be living in a tent, they found a jacket with "possible blood stains" that Isaacks' daughter later said was his. A witness in the area told investigators that a woman matching Thomas' description had recently been seen driving away in a jeep with a "black tarp covering what was being hauled on the rack."
That jeep was eventually found in Las Vegas in December. But there was no sign of Thomas. Monday, Bandera County officials say she will be deported to Texas from Mexico to face her charges.
'It's senseless'
Isaacks' loved ones said they didn't know who Freda Thomas was before seeing the Ring camera video showing her arriving at the home with him.
“It’s senseless," said his daughter, Karen Chovanec. "There’s no reason to kill an 88-year-old man.”
Meanwhile Isaacks' granddaughter, Stephanie Holan, a working attorney, has since started a foundation to advocate for the families of missing Texans and fundraise for reward money in those cases.
She said Monday's announcement does give her some hope in the search to find Thomas.
“It does give me hope that they are looking for her in another country," Holan said.
If you can any information about the case, you are urged to call the Bandera County Sheriff's Office at (830) 796-4323.
>TRENDING ON KENS 5 YOUTUBE: