Tashley Gateley’s family is focusing on her five children as authorities continue investigating the killing and the suspect’s fatal highway crash.
PLANO, TX — The family of a 32-year-old Plano mother of five is trying to hold together after police say she was killed at her home by an ex-boyfriend who died the next morning after fleeing authorities and crashing during a pursuit on Interstate 35.
Tashley Gateley was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a home in the 1100 block of Lakestream Drive after Plano police and fire personnel were dispatched to a reported shooting at about 10:15 p.m. Sept. 13. Plano Fire-Rescue pronounced her dead at the scene. Police identified her former boyfriend, 31-year-old Dallas resident William Ralph Grundy, as the suspect. Authorities obtained a murder warrant for Grundy before a police pursuit the following morning ended with his death.
Gateley’s sister, Brianna Gipson, remembered her as a “beautiful soul” in an interview with FOX 4. Gipson said Gateley had moved into the Plano home only a few months earlier as she tried to get away from what Gipson described as an abusive relationship with Grundy. Gipson said Grundy had continued contacting Gateley and sending threats. Police have confirmed that Gateley and Grundy knew each other and identified Grundy as her ex-boyfriend, but authorities have not released a detailed account of what led to the shooting.
All five of Gateley’s children were at the house when the shooting occurred, according to Gipson. Plano police said additional family members were found inside the residence and were not physically injured. Gipson told FOX 4 that one of the children was able to write down Grundy’s license plate number, information that helped authorities identify the vehicle they were seeking. Police said the suspect had left the home before officers arrived.
Detectives worked through the night and located Grundy’s Dodge Charger parked at a hotel in a neighboring city, according to Plano police. Investigators established surveillance while an arrest warrant on a murder charge was obtained. At about 9:50 a.m. Sept. 14, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, assisting Plano police and the U.S. Marshals Service, attempted to stop the Charger on northbound Interstate 35 near Sanger.
Grundy did not stop, and a pursuit followed, authorities said. During the chase, Grundy fired multiple shots toward pursuing law enforcement officers, according to information released by Plano police citing the Texas Department of Public Safety. The pursuit continued north before Grundy’s vehicle crashed into the center median near the Cooke and Denton county line. The car caught fire shortly after the crash, and the Sanger Fire Department extinguished the flames. Grundy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have not publicly established exactly what caused Grundy’s death. The Texas Rangers are investigating the traffic crash, while Plano police said the homicide investigation remains active. Police initially described the shooting as an isolated incident because the victim and suspect knew each other and said there was no continuing threat to the public.
For Gateley’s family, attention has shifted to grieving her death and caring for the five children she left behind. Gipson told FOX 4 that the family is trying to remain strong while adjusting to a loss that still feels difficult to comprehend. She said watching the children continue with their lives has given relatives a reason to keep moving forward despite their grief.
The family has also established an online fundraiser to help with Gateley’s funeral costs and support her children, including therapy expenses, according to FOX 4. Gipson’s comments offered a picture of Gateley beyond the police investigation, describing a mother whose family had recently moved into the Plano neighborhood and whose death has left relatives focused on protecting and supporting her children.
Plano police said the case remains active and that no additional information was available in its latest public update. The Texas Rangers’ investigation into the crash that ended the pursuit also remains part of the continuing review of the events that followed Gateley’s death.
Author note: Last updated September 24, 2026.