A woman was found dead and her husband bleeding after a pre-dawn meeting arranged through an online dating platform ended in gunfire on Jan. 2 in the 11800 block of High Meadow Drive, Dallas police said. Officers arrested a 26-year-old man nearby and booked him on a murder charge.
Police identified the slain woman as 57-year-old Guadalupe Gonzalez. Her husband was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Investigators say the suspect, Noah Trueba, told detectives he met the couple through a social app and claimed he fired in self-defense during a confrontation inside the home. The case remains open as detectives review forensic evidence, digital records and interviews. Authorities said the findings will determine whether Trueba’s account aligns with what happened before dawn in the northwest Dallas neighborhood that sits just south of Interstate 635.
Officers were dispatched shortly after 5:10 a.m. following a 911 call about a shooting. Inside the residence, they found Gonzalez unresponsive with gunshot wounds; Dallas Fire-Rescue pronounced her dead minutes later. Police said the wounded man fled to a neighbor’s door seeking help and was transported by ambulance. Patrol units established a perimeter and canvassed the block for witnesses and cameras. Within about an hour, officers located a man matching the suspect’s description hiding near the westbound service road of I-635, behind an electrical box. A handgun was recovered along a path between the house and where the suspect was detained, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit. “This remains an active investigation,” a department spokesperson said.
Investigators said Trueba told detectives he connected with Gonzalez through Facebook Dating and that she picked him up in Garland before the trio went to the couple’s home. In an interview, he said the three drank alcohol, that he smoked marijuana and that others used methamphetamine. He claimed an argument erupted when he refused to perform a sex act, saying the woman struck him with a pistol before shots were fired. Police have not publicly confirmed whether medical staff documented injuries consistent with his account. Detectives are mapping the sequence of gunfire and working to establish who fired first and from where, based on shell casings, bullet strikes and room photographs. The husband’s detailed condition was not released beyond “critical.” No other suspects were announced.
The house sits on a quiet residential street a few blocks south of the interstate. Neighbors told officers they awoke to sirens just before sunrise. One resident said she heard raised voices followed by several sharp pops, then silence. The department has responded to previous incidents stemming from meetings arranged online, officials said, though most do not involve lethal violence. In this case, crime-scene analysts swabbed surfaces for DNA, collected casings and seized phones expected to be examined with court-approved warrants. Detectives also requested doorbell and surveillance footage from nearby homes and businesses to fill in the timeline between the initial meetup, the shooting and the suspect’s flight toward the highway.
Under Texas law, prosecutors will consider whether evidence supports a self-defense claim, which permits deadly force in limited circumstances, including to prevent certain violent felonies. Police said lab testing and digital forensics will guide their referral to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office. Trueba was booked into the Dallas County jail on a murder count in Gonzalez’s death. Officials said additional charges could follow depending on the husband’s medical outcome and lab results. An autopsy for Gonzalez will determine the number of wounds and range of fire; preliminary findings have not been released. Bond status and whether Trueba has retained or been appointed an attorney were not immediately available.
By midweek, a small cluster of candles and flowers appeared near the home’s front walk. “It was still dark and there were flashing lights everywhere,” said a neighbor who gave only her first name, Rosa. Another neighbor said the couple had lived on the street for years and exchanged greetings with nearby families. The block remained taped off for much of the day as crime-scene trucks moved in and out. Police added extra patrols through the morning while detectives interviewed residents who might have heard or seen parts of the encounter.
As of Thursday, police said the homicide unit was still interviewing witnesses and awaiting key forensic reports. The husband was listed as critical but stable. The next public update is expected after detectives finish reviewing digital messages tied to arranging the meetup and the hours leading to the shooting. Any preliminary court settings will be posted on the county docket when available.
Author note: Last updated January 10, 2026.