HOUSTON – A man has been charged in connection to the murder of an 18-year-old woman who was reported missing since Feb. 6, court documents said.
Henry David Cossette, 27, was booked into Harris County Jail Monday. He has been charged with murder in the death of Sara Goodwin. Cosette was also charged with arson and tampering with evidence – human corpse, according to court documents. His bond has been set at $1,200,000.
Cossette has been accused of strangling the victim, dismembering her body, hiding the remains, and then trying to burn his apartment down while trying to kill himself, court documents said.
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On Feb. 17, Goodwin’s family and friends, along with community activist Quanell X, held a press conference in hopes of bringing attention to her disappearance while passing out flyers. She was last seen at the intersection of South Course Drive and Bissonnet Street in southwest Houston on Feb. 6. Witnesses said Goodwin was pulled into a white 2015-2017 model Honda CRV by an unidentified man, according to a release.
That same man, who authorities said is Cossette, was apparently spotted in the same intersection attempting to lure two other women into his vehicle, according to Quanell X. Police said Goodwin’s cellphone was later recovered on the side of the road, three blocks away from the scene where she was taken.
X said a police report had initially been filed prior to the suspect’s disappearance.