HOUSTON (KIAH) — Police has identified a missing man’s body in the trunk of his car after a week trying to find a stolen truck following a deadly shooting in north Houston.
It started when Houston police found a man who was shot dead at a home at the 1700 block of West T.C. Jester Boulevard on Friday morning, Jan. 27. The homeowner, James Gerald Martin III, 37, was not there.
The victim at the house was later identified as Dana Ryssdal, 35, who is from Oregon. He was also identified as the owner of a white 2022 Dodge Ram pickup truck, which was missing from the residence.
Meanwhile, detectives also found a Toyota Prius, which belonged to Martin, in the garage of the house. Police had to secure a search warrant for the
Police searched for both Martin and the truck, and later found the truck abandoned on Monday, Jan. 30 off the roadway in the 6900 block of Cullen Boulevard, police said. It is being processed for possible evidence.
Then on Wednesday, Feb. 1, a week after police recovered another vehicle at the T.C. Jester residence and the search warrant was approved, investigators found another man’s body inside of the trunk.
After an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, the man was identified as Martin. His death was ruled as a homicide and the vehicle is also being processed for evidence.
Police now believe that Martin is not a suspect in Ryssdal’s death and both are victims.
As of now, police still do not have a motive or suspects in these shooting deaths.
Detectives are asking anyone with information in this case to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.