White/Caucasian female Michelle Jannsen died on September 18, 2025, in Runge, Texas, after being shot at a home in the 800 block of Leckie Street. Deputies responded just before 11 p.m., rendered first aid, and pronounced her dead at the scene. The sheriff later identified the victim as Michelle Jannsen; authorities did not release her age at that time.
Within a day, investigators named a suspect: Severiano Valdonado, 38.
According to the Karnes County Sheriff's Office, Valdonado left the residence after the shooting and was considered armed and dangerous. Crime Stoppers announced a reward as the manhunt widened across multiple counties, and investigators gathered evidence from the scene while urging the public to contact the Criminal Investigations Division with tips tied to Case #2025-14926.
Nearly two weeks later, a break came far from Runge. Texas Department of Public Safety bicycle patrol troopers encountered a man matching Valdonado's description at a downtown Austin encampment. When he tried to flee, troopers pursued, deployed a Taser, and took him into custody. Jail records show he was booked in Travis County on six charges—two local counts for evading arrest and providing false information and four non-Travis County offenses—while authorities noted he is the man accused of shooting Michelle Jannsen just before 11 p.m. on September 18 at the Leckie Street address in Runge.
Public memorial pages soon recorded the loss, listing Michelle Jannsen as “lost to gun violence” in Runge on September 18, 2025, echoing the details released by local law enforcement and underscoring how a late-night call in a small South Texas town swiftly became a regional manhunt that ended with an arrest in the state capital.
