07-07-2025
Newly engaged Texas couple killed in freak wine cellar accident at their stunning $2.4 million home
A newly engaged couple died in a freak accident at their multimillion-dollar home after breathing fatal fumes released by dry ice they had been storing in their wine cellar.
Deborah Putzka Touchy, 67, and Kevin Willis, 68, were found dead on July 4 after neighbors called 911 to their home in the ritzy River Oaks area of Houston.
Firefighters noticed the fumes soon after they arrived about 7pm and needed respirators to enter the cellar, where the bodies were discovered.
Touchy and Willis were reportedly planning to host a Fourth of July party when they were killed.
'There was dry ice being stored in the wine cellar,' Houston Police Lieutenant Larry said.
'When dry ice melts, it turns into carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, it appears the two people who went into the wine cellar were overcome.'
Willis and Touchy got engaged earlier this year and threw an engagement party at the Champion Wine Garden during the Houston Rodeo on March 10.
The couple frequently posted photos of themselves at wine tastings and vineyard tours across the country, as well as in France and Italy.
Touchy, who described herself as a lawyer and accountant, posted dozens of photos of her wine collection on Facebook and Instagram.
Friends took to social media to mourn the couple, who appeared active in the social scene.
They were regular attendees of the Houston Rodeo, where they had 'royal seats,' and were members of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs food and wine society.
'She was a light and a delight. So smart and so self deprecating about her smarts and her achievements,' friend Vickie Elizardo wrote on Facebook.
'She has a tight circle of friends that will never be the same without her.'
'The world is a poorer place and has more shadows without her generosity and sparkle.'
Another friend, Tara Dahnke, said she read about the couple's death with interest because she didn't know about the dangers of dry ice - before the horror of discovering their identities.
'I still cant believe this is real. I have been in tears all day,' she wrote on Facebook.
'Big personalities that will not be forgotten. They always brought joy, laughter, and a giving spirit.'
The local chapter of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs society also paid tribute to two of its regulars.
'Deborah was full of energy and bigger than life in Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, rodeo, and Houston wine scene for many years,' the club wrote online.
'She always lit up the room with a huge smile and a warm hug.
'Kevin was a loving and kind person whose genuineness and caring was evident in each and every conversation. They loved each other dearly.'
The couple's ivy-covered home on Avalon Place is surrounded by stunning mansions and historic homes.
Touchy and her former husband bought the three-bedroom, four-bathroom home in 2000 for $299,250, records show.
The house was last estimates to be worth more than $2.4 million and could be worth as much as 10 times what it was bought for 25 years ago.
Dry ice, made of frozen carbon dioxide, is colder than frozen water and is often used to cool small areas like wine cellars.
'Carbon dioxide can replace oxygen in closed spaces, creating an oxygen-deficient environment. This can result in suffocation,' warns the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The medical examiner will confirm the couple's cause of death.
