On March 31, 2025, at approximately 5:13 PM, the Rockdale Police Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting a deceased female inside a residence located in the 600 block of Rice Street, Rockdale, Texas. Upon arrival, officers discovered the body of Stephanie McBride, a 58-year-old Caucasian woman, who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Milam County Justice of the Peace Greg Hoelscher pronounced McBride deceased at the scene and ordered an autopsy to be conducted by Hill Country Forensics in
Georgetown, Texas.
Investigators quickly gathered evidence at the scene, leading them to identify McBride’s daughter, Brittney Deshay Shields, a 39-year-old woman from Austin, Texas, as the primary suspect. Authorities determined that Shields acted alone in the crime. Surveillance footage captured Shields arriving and leaving the scene, holding the weapon used in the attack. Additionally, she was seen stealing McBride’s truck and fleeing the area.
With assistance from McBride’s family members, the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Highway Patrol, and the Austin Police Department, Shields was located at her residence in Austin and taken into custody without incident. Upon arrest, Shields provided a full confession to law enforcement. Authorities recovered the firearm believed to have been used in the crime, along with bloodstained clothing, which will undergo forensic testing to confirm a match with McBride’s DNA.
Shields’ two young children, aged five and six, were also found at her residence in Austin. They were unharmed and taken into protective custody. Shields was booked in Travis County and is expected to be transferred to the Milam County Jail, where she faces charges of Capital Murder. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue to process forensic evidence related to the case.
