Former Hearne city councilmember Charles Workman was found dead Monday morning.
According to Hearne Police on scene, the 63-year-old's body was found around 11 a.m. in his El Paso Street house.
Authorities have not ruled out foul play in the death. Texas Rangers are joining HPD in the investigation.
The body has been sent to Dallas for an autopsy.
Family members say Workman's 2002 white Jaguar is missing.
“It doesn't even seem real. I want to know what happened to him,” said Wanda Workman Williams, the victim’s sister.
"He was like a blessing. He is truly going to be missed. He was like the daddy of our family. He was a good man,” said Kitty Workman, the victim’s niece.
In addition to serving on the city council, Workman was a local Baptist minister. He also served as a coordinator for the non-profit Texas Justice Network seeking reforms in the criminal justice system.
Workman played a part in community efforts in Hearne following a November 2000 drug bust at an apartment complex. Some of the many arrested and the American Civil Liberties Union sued Robertson County, claiming they had been wrongfully arrested. The two sides reached a settlement in May 2005, the terms of which were confidential. The story of the lead plaintiff, Regina Kelly, became the basis of a 2008 film, American Violet.
"Hopefully, we can move on," Workman told News 3 in June 2005. "What we want to do is take advantage of the good faith environment that's existing right now. We want to take something positive from this."
