Kyle PD Victim Services Counselor found dead

KYLE, Texas - Kyle police are mourning the loss of one of their own Thursday night.

Bastrop County deputies say Kyle PD Victim Services Coordinator Samantha Dean was found dead from a gunshot wound. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.

Deputies here say Dean wasn't the only victim of this crime. She was pregnant.

At 2 a.m. Wednesday, a deputy was making a routine check of a parking lot off Stephen F. Austin Road. That's west of the city of Bastrop. He says he saw a vehicle with a door open and Dean's body lying on the ground next to it.

As the Victim Services Coordinator for the Kyle Police Department, Dean would respond to crimes 24-7 to provide comfort to victims.

Kyle Chief Jeff Barnett described Dean as a wonderful person with a strong compassion for others. She had been with the department for two years.

"She loved giving stuffed animals out to victims and children so people in the community They learned this and they actually bring stuffed animals by the dozens to the police department for Samantha and they know that Samantha find the right child or the right stuffed animal at the right time," Chief Barnett said.

Counselors were with the officers of Kyle P.D. Thursday.

Deputies say while Dean's death is being investigated as a homicide, they have no reason to believe the community is in danger.