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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Deputy: Boy burned while playing with flammable liquid

An 11-year-old boy was burned while he reportedly was playing with flammable liquid in north Harris County.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Deputies say an 11-year-old boy was seriously burned in north Harris County while he and his friends were playing with a flammable liquid.

The incident happened near Aldine ISD's Grantham Academy in the 1500 block of Sandydale Lane.

Deputies believe the boy was initially taken to Memorial Hermann, where he was stabilized, but was transported by ground to Galveston Shriners Burn Hospital. They say the boy suffered second-degree burns on 50 percent of his body.

Detectives say this began when four children were playing, lighting newspapers on fire during a football game that isn't affiliated with the school.

Deputies say one of the boys began pouring rubbing alochol when somehow, the flames got on another boy. The boy then started running down the street on fire. That's when neighbors came out and tried rolling the boy on the ground.

"It's heartbreaking. You don't wish that on anyone, you don't," one neighbor told us. "He may have been in shock because he didn't have a reaction. He just had a dead stare. He just wasn't reacting to anything."

Parents and children at the scene are very upset.

Investigators are still talking to the boy's friends to determine exactly what happened.

No other details were immediately available.

Stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com for the latest details.

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

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Reward offered in case of stolen Porsche found burned

A silver-colored 2006 Porsche Cayenne was found burning in a wooded area in the 1200 block of Pearland Parkway back on June 15.

  PEARLAND, TX (KTRK) -- A reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of a suspect or suspects after a luxury vehicle was found burning in a wooded field in Pearland last week.

Back on June 15 at around 6:20am, the silver-colored 2006 Porsche Cayenne was found burning in a wooded area in the 1200 block of Pearland Parkway. Investigators say the vehicle's owner reported that it was stolen from the parking lot of a business at 10555 Pearland Parkway.

Officials believe the vehicle was stolen between 4am and 6am that morning.

The Pearland Fire Marshal's Office is offering a $1,000 reward in the case. If you know anything about the reported theft and fire, contact them at 281-651-1954.

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

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Christmas tree catches fire; townhomes burned

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A dried up Christmas tree too close to a burning fireplace. That's what's being blamed for a fire that destroyed two west Houston townhomes on Tuesday morning.

It happened at the townhomes at Litchfield and Memorial. Ironically, today is the first day that the city's recycling centers will be accepting old Christmas trees.

Houston fire officials tell me the Christmas tree in that fire was over 30 days old and had dried out. When your tree hits that stage, officials say it's safest at a recycling center.

This is where Janet Steinmetz wanted to take her Christmas tree today. But after a month in her home, she had another concern about her tree.

"Fire. And the Litchfield apartment fire was because of a Christmas tree," said Steinmetz.

There's not much left of the home destroyed Monday night by fire.

"My kids yelled, 'Fire,'" said the homeowner, Jack Perry.

He says he was packing for a family camping trip, and saw a spark from the fireplace jump onto the Christmas tree. In a matter of seconds, he was frantic to get his family out.

"You couldn't stop it. The wire around it was on fire. It was like the tree was alive. It burned up and went to the ceiling," said Perry.

Luckily, the Perry family got out OK. Firefighters say the tree was too close to the fireplace and, after a month in the house, was dried and a fire hazard.

There are certain signs your tree has become a danger to your home.

"You have to make some inspections. When you get the tree, you have to study those pine needles -- are they dry? Are they brown? Are they falling off? If they are, it's time to get rid of that tree because at that point it becomes a hazard," said Capt. Ruy Lozano with the Houston Fire Department.

There are several places all over Houston to take your Christmas tree. There is no charge and neighbors like Steinmetz consider it a safe alternative, especially after what happened to the Perry's home.

"It added to my resolve that we're going to get it out, plus he's home with his truck so that makes it easy," said Steinmetz.

The city has these recycling centers all over Houston and you can click on this link for a list of locations and a map.

Earlier Tuesday: Neighbors save residents from burning townhomes

Neighbors jumped into action to rescue trapped families who could only watch as the flames consumed their homes. Several families were sifting through what's left of their homes after a fire destroyed nearly everything they owned.

The fire started just before 10pm at townhomes on Litchfield and Memorial. Firefighters spent 12 hours fighting the fire, putting out hotspots and digging through the debris to get the smoke and embers out. The challenge grew by the minute as the framing of the building began to crumble.

"I heard screaming and I saw fire erupting from the house and I ran over as fast as I could and I called 9-1-1," said neighbor Michael Murphey.

"There were flames just leaping off the far patio," said another neighbor.

"Last night, a Christmas tree caught on fire and it went up in flames," said another.

Flames danced over four townhome units at Ethan's Glen, a 32-acre wooded development in west Houston.

"One of our concerns is always if one of the trees is gonna go up," said neighbor Amy Smith. "Thank God we've had so much rain for the past few days. I think that probably helped."

For hours overnight and well into today, fire crews quashed flames and quieted hot spots.

"The floors even burned through and the building was starting to sag and collapse," said Capt. Thomas Dillion with the Houston Fire Department.

Luckily, the fire didn't spread to the trees, but two homes are damaged and two others were destroyed, including Jack Perry's home, where it all began.

Perry's wife grabbed their two kids and rushed out of the house while he stayed behind and tried to fight it. His right cheek is now burned from the heat.

"I tried to go upstairs to save what I could and I started inhaling smoke and then I got out of there," he said.

Thanks to the some of the neighbors, everyone got out OK. Perry and his family are now staying with relatives.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Jury orders man to pay $150 billion to family of Montgomery County man who was burned as a boy

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Montgomery County family has been awarded the biggest settlement ever -- $150 billion. The civil lawsuit has to do with the death of their son and while they will likely never see that $150 billion, they hope it will bring about justice.

"I wasn't expecting it to turn out as well as it did," Colleen Middleton said.

Colleen Middleton and Bobby Middleton are still trying to process what happened Tuesday afternoon.

"It tells me that they understood that he was a precious human being and he didn't deserve what happened to him," Colleen Middleton said.

This final judgment by a Fayette County jury on Tuesday awarded the Middletons $150 billion.

"It just hasn't really sunk in yet. Bobby thought when they said $150 billion, he thought they said $150 million," Colleen Middleton said.

At the center of the case is their son Robbie Middleton. He died eight months ago, just shy of his 21st birthday. His terminal cancer was a direct result of his severe burns.

In 1998, on his eighth birthday, Robbie was doused with gasoline and burned over 99 percent of his body. It happened in Montgomery County.

Robbie spent most of his life in Shriners Burn Hospital in Galveston. The rehabilitation was painful, but his mother says he never gave in to self pity and anger.

Days before he died, Robbie gave a deposition, naming Don Collins as the man who burned him and sexually assaulted him. Collins was never charged in the crimes by Montgomery County officials.

Since 2001, Collins has been serving time in TDCJ for aggravated sexual assault of another eight-year-old boy.

Collins was recently found liable for Robbie Middleton's death in civil court, and on Tuesday, a jury awarded the massive dollar amount. Robbie's mother believes it was her son's deposition that made the difference.

"He did it because was afraid that Don might attack another child and that was Robert's motivation for giving that deposition," she said.

Colleen Middleton says they didn't sue Collins for the money; the family says it is seeking justice.

"I never expect to see a penny of the money and not at all. The whole reason we did this today was to send a statement to Montgomery County that they need to criminally prosecute him," she said.

Whether that will happen remains unknown. The Montgomery County attorney and district attorney did not returned our calls.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Officials identify burned remains

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The body of a woman found burned in a field in southeast Houston has been identified.

Investigators at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science identified the remains as Sherell Baldwin.

Baldwin's remains were found behind a business on Scranton and Easthaven around midnight Thursday. They were on fire, officials said.

According to workers at a nearby business, it was a small fire captured on surveillance cameras that first caught the eye of an outside security company.

A guard there called 9-1-1, but it wasn't until firefighters arrived that authorities realized it was a woman's body on fire.

Police still have little to go on, but they do believe someone dumped Baldwin's body and then intentionally set it on fire.

Anyone with any information about Baldwin's death is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Woman burned in apartment fire

A woman suffered burns in a fire at this apartment complex on Kuykendahl in northwest Harris County

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A woman is in the hospital with second and third degree burns after a fire at her apartment in northwest Harris County.

It happened around midnight Saturday at a complex on Kuykendahl near F.M. 1960.

Firefighters say the woman was standing near the stove, cooking when oil sparked a flash fire.

She was burned on her upper body, arms, hands and face.

Authorities say she went to the hospital in serious but stable condition.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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