Burke, thanks very much for that "blueclickeything" link to the Houston Chronicle articles about these murders and related subjects. The information there answers several of the questions I'd posed.

For instance, according to the link, the children were apparently killed about an hour after their father left for work, not immediately as I'd heard previously. Autopsies on the bodies have indeed been performed but the results will not be known for several days.

Also, the husband is reported to have said that recently he had had to check in from work on his wife's well-being frequently (by phone? Doesn't say). Lots of anecdotal info from people who knew her (one said it was rumored in high school that she was suffering from depression), but not much historical background on the husband yet.

On the subject of getting more involved to avoid tragedy: My teen-aged niece is bipolar and has spent much of her high-school years in the hospital and in an institutionalized setting that includes schooling. During those periods, she is not allowed to receive visitors outside her immediate family, and her visits home are strictly structured. So the rest of us in the extended family are forced to limit our involvement, leaving us to simply hope for the best. Sometimes there's only so much one MAY do (as opposed to CAN do).