Jewelry may help ID burned victim found on rural property

FULSHEAR, TX (KTRK) -- Police in Fulshear are searching for answers after a woman's burned body was discovered in a rural area on Monday.

Fulshear police are still trying to identify the remains. They say the woman is in her 20s to 30s and was about 5' to 5'2" tall. But the victim is burned so badly they cannot tell her race.

On a gravel road just off Katy-Fulshear Road is a spot of scarred ground where it appears something burned. Fulshear police say a ranch hand discovered a badly burned body there on Monday morning.

It's a rural area where the only residents immediately nearby are cattle. It's a well-traveled road during the day. People driving along the dirt road there say this shakes their sense of safety.

"It's such a remote area," said neighbor Michelle Thompson. "You think this area of Houston is safe out here."

Investigators say it's not clear how long the body had been there. It appears it was burned at the location. There are no missing women in Fulshear and none in Fort Bend County. Detectives are working with other agencies to see if any evidence might link to any of their missing persons cases.

The victim found in the field was wearing something which investigators hope might be the key to figuring out her identity.

Fulshear Police Chief Kenny Seymour said, "We're working on a piece of jewelry that the victim had on that might be distinctive and might stick out in somebody's mind."

One other distinctive feature they say is that the woman had extensive dental work. Investigators say she had a number of veneers. She was wearing jeans with a red top and a belt with several metal rivet designs.

Based on the autopsy, officials believe her cause of death was possibly blunt trauma to the body and possibly strangulation.

If you have any information which can help detectives figure out who the woman is, you can contact the Fulshear Police Department at 281-346-2202, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office at 281-341-4665 or Crime Stoppers at 281-342-TIPS.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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R. Allen Stanford's property auctioned off

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Thousands of items that once belonged to billionaire R. Allen Stanford are now decorating the homes of Houstonians.

The third and final court-appointed auction of Stanford's estate was held in northeast Houston Saturday morning. Buyers browsed through tables full of guns, jewelry and antiques.

Most of the items came from Stanford's home in Saint Croix. One man came to buy office furniture for his new business.

"Some file cabinets, whatever I can get a good deal on; a great buy," said Marvin Bennett.

Money from the auction will go to the victims of Stanford's Ponzi scheme. Stanford is serving a 110-year prison sentence for defrauding investors of seven billion dollars.

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Protestors rally against high rises' property tax bills

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- As Houston City Council spent the day dealing with its budget, there was a big money protest near City Hall.

Hundreds of people marched on Chase Tower, trying to get big building owners to pay more taxes. They argue that would help the city.

At a time when skyscrapers have fewer vacancies in downtown Houston and sale prices are going up, protestors say tax bills for those big buildings are going down. They're fighting their bills - just like lots of homeowners do - but protestors say the system is unfair.

They are the buildings that define downtown Houston. They are the shapes of our skyline, the homes to some of the nation's most powerful companies. And not surprisingly, the places where our area's largest property tax bills are sent.

On Wednesday, members of the Texas Organizing Project and striking union janitors marched on Chase Tower, downtown's tallest and owner Hines Interests' most valuable building. They carried a nearly $7 million supposed tax bill for what protestors say is unpaid property tax Hines owes because the system's been so successful fighting property tax appraisals.

"These large entities keep robbing us of monies that they are due to pay. Then we lose," said Roselyn Johnson with the Texas Organizing Project.

"But they're paying their bills, Roselyn," we said.

"They're not paying their fair share," she said.

Protestors say successful appeals have lowered the tax bills for buildings like these -- $6.6 million in 2011 alone, and $ $1.7 million of that would go right to the city.

"This week, the city of Houston is talking about their budget and how much more can that help," said Gloria Villareal with the Texas Organizing Project.

The protestors say the system works to benefit big companies because of access to high-priced lobbyists and lawyers. It's an argument that only goes so far, since every one of us can appeal and protestor Roselyn Johnson has.

"Have you ever appealed yours?" we asked Johnson.

"I have, twice," she said.

"How did it work out for you?" we asked.

"I don't pay tax any more," she said.

Yes, she is complaining about breaks to big companies, and at the same time benefiting from breaks the system gave her and homeowners across our area.

More money may help the city of Houston with its budget, so long as it comes from someone's wallet -- and who's going to volunteer to pay more first -- you, me or the corporations with the sky-high offices?

The Harris County Appraisal District does say it feels outgunned trying to increase the value of big buildings downtown, even when rents are going up and occupancy going down.

We called Hines twice looking for comment but heard nothing.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more In Focus »

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HCAD: Property value notices to start hitting mailboxes

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Property owners in Harris County can expect to get notices over the next three weeks of their 2012 property values. The notices are being mailed out starting today.

The Harris County Appraisal District says about 30 percent of residential properties should expect a drop in value. About 60 percent of property owners in Houston can expect their value to stay the same. The remaining 10 percent will see an increase in property values.

Commercial property owners will get their notices later this month.

About 900,000 letters are supposed to go out to residents in the next three weeks.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Nearly $1 million in cash seized from Splendora property

SkyEye 13 HD was over a home in Montgomery County that authorities raided as part of a cocaine trafficking and money laundering investigation.

  SPLENDORA, TX (KTRK) -- SkyEye 13 HD was over a home in Montgomery County that authorities raided as part of a cocaine trafficking and money laundering investigation.

The Montgomery Co. Sheriff's Office says it has seized about $1 million in cash from the suspects involved in this investigation. Of that amount, authorities say about one-quarter of it was seized from a suspect on the border. Investigators also seized several laptops, five vehicles, and documents from the property in the 16000 block of Oaklawn in Splendora.

Officials say the investigation has been going on for several months and that they expect more seizures and arrests.

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More than 200 dogs removed from Waller Co. property

Over 200 dogs, some as young as one day old, were rescued and removed at the owner's request. The dogs are all small breeds and include Shih Tzus, Boston Terriers, Dachshunds and other mixed-breed small dogs.

  WALLER COUNTY, TX (KTRK) -- More than 200 dogs were removed from a property in Waller County by the Houston SPCA Wednesday.

According to a release by the SPCA, the Waller County Sheriff's Office contacted them about a large scale dog breeding operation. The dogs, some as young as one day old, were removed at the owner's request.

According to the SPCA, the dogs have a combination of internal and/or external parasites and moderate to severe skin conditions. The dogs will be checked out by a team of veterinarians.

The SPCA says some of the dogs will be available for adoption as early as this Saturday at 10am when the shelter opens.

The SPCA is asking for volunteer groomers to help get the dogs ready for adoption. Foster families are also needed If you can help, you're asked to call 713-869-7722.

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