HOUSTON – Authorities are investigating after the body of a young girl was found in a creek in north Houston.
Houston police said the girl, believed to be 12 years old, was found dead in the creek at 400 W. Rankin Road at about 6:15 a.m. Monday morning.
During a Monday evening news conference, Mayor John Whitmire joined Satterwhite and investigators to ask for the community’s help and support the girl’s family.
“The city’s doing everything they can to find the perpetrator of this heinous crime,” the mayor said. “It’s the worst horror for a family.”
The Harris County Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to confirm the girl’s identity and cause of death.
During a city council meeting Tuesday, Whitmire provided further details on the investigation.
The mayor said that the victim was on the phone with her 13-year-old boyfriend for much of the night. He said the boyfriend last spoke to her while she was at a convenience store, and she appeared to be speaking with two unidentified adults at the time.
“We believe somebody did this horrible thing to her,” acting chief of police Larry Satterwhite said. “I’ve talked to this child’s mother. Of course, she is devastated. Her family is devastated. Her little girl is gone.”
Investigators learned that the girl left her home sometime after 10 p.m. Sunday night. Police said the family was not aware that she had left their residence and a missing person’s report was not filed.
Someone called 911 on Monday morning to report the child’s body in the water. The HPD Dive Team responded and recovered her body.
“Any time a body is found in waterway, we will call for the dive team. This was shallow water, but it is their expertise to be able to go in and make sure that not only the body, but any other evidence in that waterway would be found,” said homicide Lt. Stephen Hope.
Her family’s apartment was a short walk from the location where her body was found, police said.
Investigators have recovered some surveillance video but they’re still working to get more information about what happened.
Her cause of death has not been released.
“A 12-year-old found in a waterway near the residence where she lives is in and of itself very suspicious,” said Lt. Hope.
He said he doesn’t know if she ever got into a vehicle and wouldn’t elaborate on the condition in which her body was found. Investigators are looking into whether she was communicating with anyone.
“We’re still looking into communications that were there and any other information that we could find from it,” Lt. Hope said.
Anyone with information is being asked to call HPD’s Homicide Division at 713 308-3600 or Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.
Crime Stoppers is offering an up to $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest or charges.