Body of missing pregnant woman found at park in southwest Houston; father of unborn child charged

HOUSTON – The missing woman, who was eight months pregnant, was found dead on Thursday, according to Texas EquuSearch’s Tim Miller and family on the scene.

Ashanti Allen, 23, had been missing since April 8. Authorities said she was last seen leaving her apartment complex in the 8700 block of Main Street. She was officially reported missing two days later, on April 10.

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Allen’s mother, Trisa Gaines Colbert, said she reported her daughter missing after receiving a strange text message from Allen’s phone, which said, “I’m leaving and never coming back.”

The mother said it was suspicious, so she went to her daughter’s apartment and found that she was not there, and neither was her vehicle.

Texas EquuSearch has been searching for Allen for days, setting up a command post near Buffalo Speedway and Airport Boulevard, close to where Allen was last seen.

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Search teams looked through wooded areas, brushes, and nearby spaces, using drones and ATVs until she was found Thursday morning.

Houston police, their crime scene unit and Texas EquuSearch gathered at the park alongside Ashanti’s family as the medical examiner was seen leaving the scene.

“My body’s been numb ever since I received this phone call. We were hoping for the best, but now we’ve heard the worst,” said Ashanti’s father, Edward Allen.

According to Allen, investigators located Ashanti using data from her cellphone, which was found at Edgewood Park. That data showed the phone had previously pinged near Chimney Rock Park, where her body was ultimately discovered.

“She was my baby girl, and she had my only baby grandson. So right now, I just can’t put words into how I feel,” he said.

Father of unborn child charged

Thursday evening, Houston police announced a murder charge has been filed against the father of Allen’s unborn child.

Kevin Faux, 24, is not in custody at this time and is currently wanted in connection to Allen’s death.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Kevin Faux, or in this case, is urged to contact HPD Homicide at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.