Body of murdered Texas school teacher found by her 5-year-old daughter

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A Texas man allegedly shot to death a beloved school teacher and left her bullet-riddled body behind for her 5-year-old daughter to find, authorities said.

Shereena Ann Webster, 36, was murdered Aug. 18 in her Amarillo home while her daughter was in another room. Police say her ex-boyfriend Erik Rivas, 32, pulled the trigger and fled, according to records.

The little girl awoke at 5 a.m. and found her mother's lifeless body. She called her grandmother, who called the police, court papers show.

Rivas was identified as a suspect after investigators obtained home surveillance video from a neighbor, which showed him arrive at Webster's home at 3 a.m. and remain there until at least 4:15 a.m., according to a criminal complaint obtained by FOX 17.

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Shereena Webster was shot to death Aug. 18 in her Amarillo, Texas, home. Her ex-boyfriend, Erik Rivas, has been charged with her murder. (Facebook/Randall County Sheriff's Office)

There were also footprints in the backyard leading to a ladder that had been propped up against Webster's locked fence. Authorities believe he used the ladder to climb over the back fence and enter the house, the complaint says.

Investigators were able to connect the ladder to Rivas' workplace. A manhunt ensued and Rivas was located about five hours east in Dallas the next day, where he was taken into custody, according to police.

Shereena Webster and her 5-year-old daughter. Police say Webster was murdered by her ex-boyfriend and her daughter found her lifeless body. (GoFundMe)

Webster and Rivas dated for several years before she broke it off. Her mother told investigators that Webster had plans to leave town Aug. 19 – one day after the slaying – to meet a suitor in Colorado, according to court papers.

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The celebrated educator won the "Teachers on the Rise" award in 2015 and taught at Oak Dale Elementary School – but her greatest achievement was her daughter, according to her obituary. 

Shereena Webster, a popular Texas school teacher, was allegedly murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Erik Rivas. (Facebook)

"Their bond was and will always be unbreakable," the memorial reads. Her daughter is "her mini-me, her best friend and her little miracle."

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Rivas is charged with one count of first-degree murder and is being held on $1 million bond at the Randall County Jail, court records show.