HOUSTON – The man charged in connection with the body of a woman found in a UHaul box appeared in probable cause court Wednesday morning.
Miguel Moreno, 61, was charged with tampering and fabricating physical evidence, specifically, a human corpse. His bond was set at $500,000, which is more than what the state initially asked for.
In court, more details were released in what many are calling a “gruesome” crime.
According to investigators, a resident found a suspicious box at an apartment parking lot in southwest Houston, and inside the box, was the body of an unidentified woman. The victim was believed to be in her 30s.
Moreno is from Mexico and has been living in Houston for 25 years, and in the apartment where the box was found for the last six years. Moreno and another woman’s name are on the lease. Moreno’s relation with the woman found dead is currently unknown.
He has three children -- two of which are minors - and is a painter by trade.
The Medical Examiner’s Office inspected the contents of the box. They discovered the body wrapped in plastic and sheets. Her face had lacerations and wounds consistent with being cut with a machete or an ax, investigators said. Facial bones were also broken. The body was found in a green fitted sheet and plastic wrap.
When a search warrant was conducted, investigators said a mattress covered in biological material was found wrapped in plastic wrap and sheets consistent to what was around the body. Blood droplets were also found in the apartment.
Detectives said surveillance video shows a person carrying a UHaul box on a dolly. That person was later identified as Moreno.
Moreno was questioned by investigators where he claimed he hadn’t been in the apartment for the past few days. He told investigators that someone broke into his apartment and dropped off the large UHaul box. He said the box smelled bad and that he saw blood, according to investigators. When Moreno was asked why he didn’t call, he told detectives that he did not want to get in trouble so he moved the box himself.
Detectives did not confirm if the woman is the same person on the lease of the apartment.