BAYTOWN, Texas — A sheriff says a southeast Texas man accused of killing his ex-wife on the eve of Hurricane Harvey gave a tearful confession under questioning.

But Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne told the Houston Chronicle that they don’t yet know the motive in the slaying of Crystal McDowell, a 37-year-old mother of two. He tells the Baytown Sun that early indications show she was strangled, but the autopsy report is not yet back.

The real estate agent’s body was found in a marshy wooded area Saturday, more than two weeks after her disappearance on Aug. 25, the day Hurricane Harvey made landfall.

Steven McDowell has been charged with murder. The 44-year-old remained in jail Tuesday on $500,000 bond. Jail records didn’t show an attorney for him.