Houston News

Monday, January 2, 2012

Woman's body found under bridge in Pasadena

PASADENA, TX (KTRK) -- Police are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found Sunday under a bridge on the banks of Vince Bayou in Pasadena.

According to officials, the female body was discovered by a passer-by sometime before 11am at South Shaver and Queens. That civilian then apparently flagged down and alerted a nearby police officer.

Authorities have not released the woman's name, but they say it looks like she may have been murdered.

A spokesperson for the Pasadena Police Department said the woman was nude and was severely beaten, specifically around the face, and she may have ben sexually assaulted. They describe her also as a Latina in her mid-30s.

"It's someone's child, daughter, sister," nearby resident Jaime Almaguer said. "We live in a cruel world right now."

From Almaguer's front door you can see the spot where the body was found, but no one at his home saw or heard anything suspicious.

"Everybody was celebrating New Year's with their gunshots, stuff like that, but nothing that was out of the ususal," he said.

Police say they found identification on the body and have tenatively identified the victim as a Pasadena resident. They have also talked to a man who they say is her husband.

Investigators aren't saying if she was killed at the site or just dumped there.

The scene is immediately adjacent to Pasadena Fire Department Station No. 4. It's a volunteer fire station and no one was there overnight, but police hope one of the surveillance cameras outside the fire station might give them images to help catch the killer.

If you have information that may help investigators, call Pasadena police or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

Please stay with Eyewitness News and abc13.com as we continue to follow this developing story.

local, kevin quinn

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DWI crackdown on New Year's weekend

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- If you will be drinking this New Year's weekend, you are being reminded to not get behind the wheel.

This weekend marks a "no refusal" initiative.

Under the no refusal program, suspected drunken drivers who refuse a breathalyzer test will have blood drawn.

Additional law enforcement agents will be on hand to issue warrants for the tests.

Last holiday weekend, Houston police brought in a total of 156 suspected drunk drivers with the program, and 41 of those drivers were driving with twice the legal limit of alcohol in their system.

Additionally, under a new law, anyone caught driving with more than twice the legal limit could be put in jail for a lot longer.

Blood alcohol content of 0.15 or higher means you could face up to a year in jail instead of 180 days.

The new law went into effect September 1.

If you need help getting to or from your New Year's Eve party, METRO is offering a safe alternative to driving. They're providing rides for free to help everyone get home safely.

The METRO free rides start at 6pm Saturday and ends at 6am Sunday on both the bus and rail system.

Another alternative for intoxicated New Year's revelers this holiday weekend is the AAA Tipsy Tow program.

AAA is offering to tow drivers and their vehicles for free up to 10 miles. Drivers would have to pay for any distance past the initial 10 miles.

The service is open to the public. You do not have to be a AAA member to take part in the program.

Tipsy Tow runs through 6am Sunday. Motorists can call 1-800-TRIPLE-A (1-800-874-7532) for a lift.

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Police warn against NYE celebratory gunfire

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- You could start off the new year in jail if you ring in 2012 with gunfire.

Police are warning people not to fire guns into the air at midnight.

Stray bullets from celebratory gunfire injure people each year, officials say.

Celebratory gunfire is a Class A misdemeanor and carries a punishment of up to a year in prison along with a $4,000 fine.

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Toddler found with dead caregiver still hospitalized

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A toddler found Friday in the same home as a dead body will spend another night in the hospital, officials said.

According to authorities, 19-month-old Kemichael Austin was discovered in a playpen inside of a home on West Gulf Bank. His caregiver -- 63-year old Norma Davis -- had died.

Kemichael was taken into the custody of Child Protective Services.

The child was not seriously harmed, but he was dehydrated and required hospitalization.

Officials said Saturday that he was being kept overnight in the hospital for observation.

It's not known how or when Davis died. Her son tells Eyewitness News she had been ill for quite some time, but yet she was still able to care for the little boy.

Emergency responders say they gave the boy fluids as they rushed him to the hospital.

CPS said he'll be placed back in foster care once he's released. They have already identified a foster home for him.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office says there were no signs of trauma on Davis' body so it appears she died from natural causes.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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HPD: Woman brutally murdered in her apartment

Houston police were parked outside this southwest Houston apartment complex where a 27-year-old woman was found dead after a brutal attack

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Police are investigating the murder of a woman in southwest Houston.

They say the parents of Altovise Mahone found her body inside of her apartment in the 14900 block of West Oaks Plaza Drive. They were concerned and went to check on her because they had not heard from her since Thursday night, officials said.

According to police, the 27-year-old was killed in a brutal attack and several of her possessions were taken, including her car.

Police are now looking for that vehicle -- a 2002 red Chevrolet Impala with license plate number BD3-B263.

Family members told police Mahone moved to the apartment complex after she was burglarized several weeks ago at another residence. They said they thought she would be safer there.

Investigators said there were no signs of forced entry at the woman's apartment.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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Police: Homeless man found beaten to death in South Houston

SOUTH HOUSTON, TX (KTRK) -- South Houston police are investigating the death of a homeless man whose body was discovered on New Year's Eve.

Officials said the body was found around 7pm Saturday in the 1400 block of Spencer.

According to police, the 54-year-old man was apparently beaten to death.

The victim's name has not been released. Officials are trying to notify his family.

Anyone with information is asked to call South Houston police or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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Local man killed, 2nd injured in NJ hotel stabbing

HOUSTON -- A Texas man was fatally stabbed and another was critically injured during an attack at a central New Jersey hotel.

Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano says 30-year-old Chad Everette Robertson of Shoreacres and a 29-year-old Houston man were found at the Franklin Township site around 1:25 a.m. Saturday.

Robertson, who had been stabbed multiple times, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The other man, whose name was not released, was stabbed in the abdomen. He underwent surgery and was hospitalized in critical condition.

Soriano says the men have been in the area for a few weeks working on an environmental project. But it's not clear if they were staying at the hotel where the stabbings occurred or what may have prompted the stabbings.

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Monday, January 2, 2012

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