HOUSTON – The family of a missing mother is voicing their frustration about the ongoing investigation to find her.
“There’s no reason why we should be at almost three weeks now without an update from HPD. Just to be clear about a couple of things, the Houston Police Department, they are fumbling the ball on this, and it needs to be known,” Kevin Carrier said.
Saturday, Oct. 21, marked one months since 21-year-old Deundrea Ford was reported missing.
She was last seen leaving the Diva’s Bikini Bar and Grill, where she had been working for about two weeks with a person in a white van.
Deundrea’s uncle, Kevin Carrier, is concerned, angry, and aggravated about how the case is being handled by Houston police. He believes some of the headlines about her disappearance and her being a woman of color are keeping his family from getting the attention they need.
“We all feel like, law enforcement has either gotten complacent with this situation with her recovery and return or she’s not a priority,” Carrier said.
Full of emotions, Kevin Carrier spoke only to KPRC 2 about his niece, Deundrea Ford. She is the mother of a 4-year-old boy.
The 21-year-old was last seen at Diva’s Bikini Bar and Grill in east Houston where she worked. Surveillance video shows Ford getting into a white van with a man.
Carrier said it’s tough not knowing where Deundrea is.
“It’s thrown me and my family for a loop and now we are asking anyone, agencies, organizations who have professionals, who know how to operate how to search and look for someone, how to make someone a priority how to become engaged, how to not let go of that. We are asking them to step in right now,” he said.
Carrier said he’s been in contact with police several times about information he has received and only heard from a detective once about two weeks ago.
“At full disclosure, we were told by HPD that the guy, the person of interest, the suspect was detained out of town. We were not given information on which state he was detained in, but we were told that he was released,” he said.
KPRC 2′s Re’Chelle Turner asked, “Do you feel like there has been a lack of response in your niece’s case because of some of the claims and because she is a woman of color?”
Carrier feels like separate claims from Deundrea’s past are making it hard for law enforcement to focus on her disappearance.
“You spun that narrative and put a negative picture out there and, in my opinion, you took away the importance of this investigation,” he said.
KPRC 2 reached out to HPD about the new information Carrier shared and is waiting for a response. Police said it is a very active investigation.
Turner also reached out to Texas EquuSearch, Councilmember Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. The officials are working to get in touch with Kevin and his family.
If you know anything about where Ford may be, call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.