Mysterious animal targeting League City pets?

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- League City residents are concerned about a predator on the loose they believe is behind the disappearance of several family pets.

While some residents say they've seen and heard coyotes, others say that's not what to blame.

"Thomas, I don't know where he went. Turned around and he was gone," resident Jennifer Lewis said of her missing cat.

Lewis misses him and believes her other two cats notice him missing too.

"He was very, very shy around people and never meowed. It was just open his mouth and nothing came out, but when he'd see you he'd come running up to you as fast as he could," she said.

There's lots of places a catnapper could hide around Marina Del Sol. Lewis believes it was a coyote and says her husband saw it.

"He really thought it was a wolf because he said it was really, really big," she said.

Others say they've heard it.

"You can hear them at night about 8:30 or 9 at night they run in packs and you can hear them wooooo," pet owner Gina Dominique said.

Karen Murchison says she's never heard a coyote.

"I have to disagree with that," she said. "I believe that we need to be looking up and I think that's where our petnappers are coming from."

Murchison believes it's a large bird she's had personal experiences with while walking Maurice.

"At first it was like, 'Oh ha, ha, ha' and then I was like, 'Oh my gosh. This bird is actually going to take my dog,' and so I went running and screaming," she said.

The city says the calls they've received involve coyotes.

"At this point, there have been several animals that have come up missing so we do have our officers consulting with the animal tracker that's on our police force to figure out what steps they need to take and go look for that animal," League City Director of Communications Kristi Wyatt said.

Whatever it is, pet owners are keeping a closer eye on their furry family members.

"It's terrible. We have to watch our dog, we keep him on a leash," Murchison said.

"Now we have our other two cats and we are watching out for them because they like to come and go too," Lewis said.

The city's animal control department says it will not respond to calls involving wildlife but if a wild animal does become a serious threat, it will get involved.

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

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Woman found dead in bathtub under mysterious circumstances

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are trying to figure out what happened to a woman found dead in a bathtub under mysterious circumstances in southwest Houston.

"It's a human tragedy, no question about it," said neighbor William Howard.

Yellow crime scene tape wrapped a house on Cherry Limb Drive -- an unusual sight for neighbors.

"It's a cul-de-sac on both ends, so we don't get that much traffic," Howard explained.

It was after 1am when police got a call about a disturbance at the house. When officers arrived they found all windows and doors locked. But a closer look revealed something bizarre.

Officer Roy Swainson with HPD Homicide said, "While peeking through all the windows, they found what appeared to be two bodies in the bathtub."

Police found a couple -- a man and a woman, both in their 30s -- partially clothed, in a bathtub, with water in it. Police say Lashonda Moye, 37, was transported to Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The man in the tub with her has been identified as Nathan Mitchell.

"It appears he might be the victim of some sort of minor trauma. I'm still waiting on the results of what his injuries are," Officer Swainson said. "He has provided a story that we are going to go ahead and continue researching as to what he had to say about all this."

Neighbors are shocked. Beth Paguio first heard the commotion after midnight.

She recalled, "I was gonna like, what's going on, look out, but I didn't, but I wish I did."

Moye's two sons, ages 18 and 7, were staying with relatives at the time, and are unharmed.

Authorities hope an autopsy on Moye's body will reveal her cause of death.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Mysterious fire at Harris County swimming pool

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A mysterious fire started early Sunday at a west Harris County neighborhood swimming pool.

The blaze was reported around 1:30am on Berkshire Manor Ln. near Timbercreek Place Ln.

When firefighters arrived, flames were shooting from the pool's storage facility and water pump.

The fire spread across the grass and came close to some nearby homes, but firefighters got control before it caused any additional damage.

No one was injured. Arson investigators are looking into the cause.

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Mysterious shootings have neighbors on edge

  By Demond FernandezHOUSTON (KTRK) -- Apparent random shootings in a southwest Houston neighborhood have residents on edge. A victim who was shot in the back has been upgraded to good condition. For the first time, we're hearing from a second victim who was shot in the same neighborhood, also for no apparent reason.

The shootings happened along Bob White near Ariel. Many of the neighbors along Robindell are strongly suggesting anyone steer clear of that intersection. They say this mysterious gunman has them feeling like prisoners in their own homes.

There is a huge reason you won't catch too many neighbors outside their homes near Bob White Drive in Robindell right now.

"Everybody is very scared," said neighbor Mary Thayer. "Very scared."

Neighbors are scared knowing two people have been shot in the last week and a half while walking along the street. We spoke with one woman who was shot in the shoulder.

She said, "I'm still shocked. I'm afraid to go outside whether it's here or anyplace."

The woman said she's too afraid to be identified since police have yet to arrest the mysterious gunman who injured her and shot another man in the back on Bob White last week.

"First I thought it was an accident maybe," she recalled. "But now that it happened to somebody else, I just think somebody's having fun at the expense of other people's pain."

Neighbors are also concerned the shootings are happening too close to McNamara Elementary.

"It's very serious," said parent Gigi Nevil. "It's very scary."

The random shootings now have HISD and Houston police increasing patrols in the area. Parents say school buses are also keeping kids away from the intersection the shooter has been targeting.

Nevil said, "My daughter rides the bus. Her bus driver has changed her route so that she actually pulls her closer to the house, which is thoughtful."

Police are still interviewing several people in these shooting cases.

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