Back in 2017, Daren Wayne Monk opened his ten-acre property in Texas to families who had lost their homes during Hurricane Harvey. The Kountze resident was praised locally for giving displaced people somewhere to stay. Today, Monk is facing a murder charge. Authorities accuse the 42-year-old of killing his girlfriend, Julia Renee Carter, 46. Carter was a mother of three and a grandmother. Investigators have yet to find her body. The case came to light after Carter stopped showing up for work. According to People, she had been absent for several days when her employer contacted the Hardin County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, October 16, 2026. Deputies were asked to check on her at her home in Kountze. They found no trace of her Detectives began trying to piece together what had happened, speaking with Carter’s relatives, friends, and coworkers. They also collected forensic evidence. As the investigation progressed, authorities said they found signs of serious domestic violence. Hardin County Sheriff Mark Davis said the evidence pointed to a homicide. He did not go into detail about what investigators had uncovered, saying the information was being withheld to protect the investigation. Monk was among the people detectives wanted to speak with. On the afternoon of October 16, investigators called him while trying to establish Carter’s last known movements. According to law enforcement reports, he became uncooperative during the conversation and left the area soon afterward. That prompted 356th State Court District Judge Steve Thomas to issue a warrant charging Monk with murder. Finding him proved more difficult. Investigators say Monk travelled through several cities, setting off a search that involved law enforcement agencies from across the region. The search eventually led officers to the Houston area. On Wednesday, October 21, members of the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Monk near Katy, Texas. The Gulf Coast Violent Crimes Task Force and the Southeast Texas Violent Crimes Task Force assisted in the operation. The FBI and Texas Rangers also provided support. Authorities said Monk was taken into custody without incident. He was returned to Hardin County and booked into jail. Justice of the Peace Charles Brewer arraigned him and set bond at $1 million. The Hardin County District Attorney’s Office addressed reports that Monk had fled after speaking with detectives. However, prosecutors said he had not been charged with a separate offence related to evading police. His arrest has not answered the question Carter’s family is still asking: where is she? Search teams are now looking for her remains across Southeast Texas. Meanwhile, relatives have been sharing messages online about the uncertainty they are living with. Carter’s sister-in-law, Cortney Shaw, described the family’s distress at not knowing where Carter is or what has happened to her. A GoFundMe campaign has also been set up to support the family during the search and honour Carter’s memory. It remembers her as a mother, daughter, sister, and grandmother whose loss has left those close to her struggling to come to terms with her absence. Monk is now in custody, but the search for Carter is still underway. Until investigators find her, her family is left waiting for answers.