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Charles Michael Gatteys

Age : 36

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/07/2026

Location : Rural area near County Road 2913

City : Eustace

County : Henderson

State : Texas

Agency : Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office; Henderson County Sheriff's Office; Texas Department of Public Safety

Officer(s) :Not Applicable

Cause of Death : Suicide

Event : Suicide under police duress

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/07/2026, law enforcement officers began searching for 36-year-old Charles Michael Gatteys of Kaufman County after a Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office deputy attempted to stop him while he was riding a motorcycle. Gatteys continued driving away while the deputy pursued him, beginning a pursuit that crossed county lines.

The pursuit continued into Henderson County, where Gatteys eventually abandoned the motorcycle and ran into a wooded rural area. Law enforcement agencies established a perimeter and began an extensive manhunt. Henderson County Sheriff's Office deputies, Texas Department of Public Safety personnel and other law enforcement officers participated in the search.

Authorities searched the area for several hours using multiple law enforcement resources. Residents in the surrounding area were alerted to the police activity while officers attempted to locate Gatteys.

Henderson County Sheriff's Office personnel subsequently located Gatteys dead in the search area. Authorities reported that he died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. No law enforcement officer was reported to have fired at Gatteys.

Gatteys had previously been involved in a widely reported police pursuit in North Texas in February 2016. Garland police attempted to stop him while he was riding a motorcycle without a license plate and reportedly swerving. That pursuit traveled through several North Texas cities before Gatteys drove down a drainage ditch in McKinney, fell from the motorcycle and was arrested. Police reported recovering a stolen handgun, methamphetamine and Xanax following that arrest.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.terrelltribune.com/news/suspect-found-dead-after-pursuit-manhunt
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2016/02/15/police-mesquite-man-who-fled-on-motorcycle-had-stolen-gun-xanax-meth-and-scale/