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An elderly woman was found dead inside her home in southwest Houston on Monday afternoon, and as police were investigating the killing, a suspect in the case showed up at the scene and was taken into custody.
The woman, who had not been identified by authorities Monday evening, was in her 80s and a longtime resident of her Neff Street home across from St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church. Her body was found after she did not answer repeated phone calls, a neighbor said.
The woman was slated to visit her husband in a convalescent care facility on Monday morning but she never showed up, said Sharon Shanahan, the victim’s neighbor of three decades.
Her son went to check on her and made the discovery inside the Sharpstown home in the 8100 block around 1:30 p.m., the neighbor said. Her car was apparently missing.
“She was so frail. I can’t imagine somebody wanting to hurt her,” Shanahan said. “Why couldn’t they take just her car?”
Shanahan said the victim was a retired employee of Holy Ghost Catholic Church and attended the St. Francis parish across the street.
Councilman Mike Laster offered his condolences to neighbors on the tree-lined street across from the church soccer field.
“I hope they find the culprit,” Laster said early Monday evening.
Police spent the evening canvassing neighbors for possible surveillance footage that might have captured any suspicious activity outside the home.
Around 8:30 p.m., a bespectacled man whom police consider the suspect walked past police cars parked at Neff Street and Mary Bates Boulevard, was spotted and taken into custody. Neighbors said the man may have been living in a car parked across the street from the victim’s home.
“It is a little unusual,” HPD Lt. Larry Crowson said of the suspect walking by. “Makes you wonder what all was going on.”
Crowson said it doesn’t appear the suspect knew the victim, and that he had been in the area for several days acting suspiciously.
Investigators taped off a Subway cup in the grass that was near where the vehicle was parked.
Police have not said how the elderly woman was killed.