Lindley Dodson, Texas doctor killed as hostage, grieved by patients

AUSTIN, Texas – For years, Dr. Lindley Dodson eased the anxieties of new parents and coaxed small children for routine medical procedures such as shots and, more recently, COVID-19 tests.

The 43-year-old pediatrician operated a thriving practice with several other doctors, keeping a constant presence at school activities and other functions for her three children who are 5, 7 and 11. 

Austin police identified Dodson on Wednesday as one of two people found dead at her office after being taken hostage by another pediatrician, Bharat Narumanchi.

Narumanchi did not work at the clinic where he held five employees hostage for hours, police Lt. Jeff Greenwalt said. Four were either let go or escaped, and no children were there, he said.

Dodson’s husband, Drew, said he and his family “have gotten a lot of outreach and support.” 

Dodson’s friends and patients were anguished by her loss, many speaking about her through sobs and paying tribute to their special parent-pediatrician relationship.

“You saw her at your worst, when your kid was sick, and she just always had a smile on her face,” said Karen Vladeck, whose two children, ages 2 and 5, were patients. “She made you feel like you were the only parent there, even though there was a line of kids waiting.”

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