Found inside a barrel of oil in a vacant Houston tire store, the remains of a young woman continue to raise haunting questions nearly 20 years later, as her family remains unknown.
Missing in Houston is now expanding to feature cases not only of individuals who have disappeared but also those found deceased in Houston, whose identities remain unknown, leaving their families still searching for answers.
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This week, we’re highlighting the case of an unidentified woman discovered in Houston on June 30, 2005.
Houston police are investigating the death of a Black woman, estimated to be between 25 and 35 years old. She was found inside a 55-gallon drum at a vacant, fire-damaged Goodyear store on Milby Street.
The store had burned down two years prior and had since become a frequented site for people experiencing homelessness.
When new property owners arrived to clean the building, they discovered the woman’s decomposing remains in the oil-filled barrel, suggesting she may have been there for one to two weeks.
The woman is described as approximately 5′4″ tall, with dark brown to black braided hair.
She has several distinctive tattoos, including an illegible marking on her left hand, a pierced heart on her left wrist, and a scar on her lower abdomen.
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An autopsy by the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office offered only partial clues, revealing the tattoos, It also said one of her tattoos may read “IVY” or “IW.”
The scar on her lower abdomen may have been from a surgical procedure.
Despite these specific markers, her name and story remain unknown.
For any information that might help identify this woman or shed light on her case, please contact the Houston Police Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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