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Police say a former city council member in the Collin County town of Lucas murdered his daughter with special needs and then committed suicide.

Collin County sheriff's deputies discovered the bodies of Donald Zriny, 58, and his daughter Amanda Zriny, 26, in their home on Ingram Lane late Sunday afternoon.

Investigators say Donald strangled his wheelchair-bound daughter and then hanged himself.

“It is important to note that we are not searching for suspects related to this incident,” said Lt. Nick Bristow with the Collin County Sheriff’s Office. “This incident appears to be confined to this residence and this residence alone.”

Collin County Sheriff's Lt. Nick Bristow says someone inside the home called 911, alerting deputies to the scene.


Lucas Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Peele served on the city council with Donald and says everything seemed fine last time she ran into him a few weeks ago.

"From someone who was so active in the city and people knew the family, it just goes to show you just don't know what's going on in someone's private lives and what brought him to this point,” Peele said.

Peele says Donald lived in the home with his wife and their daughter, Amanda.

"She always seemed happy. She always seemed well cared for,” Peele said. “She was clean, had on neat clothes. They took her places. She'd smile and laugh."

Court records show the couple filed for divorce in 2012, but never finalized it.

Peele recalls the family attending council meetings together. She says Donald advocated for animals and was for keeping them on properties in Lucas.

"It's just really unfortunate and very tragic that things turned out this way,” the mayor pro-tem said.

Donald served on the Lucas City Council from 2005 to 2012 when he resigned. He worked for a tech company for more than 30 years, according to his profile on LinkedIn.

The Collin County Sheriff's Office spokesperson would not say whether the mother was home at the time of this incident. She runs a day spa in front of their family home.