Woman's body believed to be intentionally dumped near Houston rail yard

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Houston police say they believe a woman’s body, which was discovered across the street from a rail yard in Northeast Houston, was dumped there. Police got the call about the body in plain sight on the shoulder of Kirkpatrick Blvd about 7:45 a.m. Wednesday.

Trucker Dwight Estis says he pulled over for a nap near the entrance to the rail yard around 5 a.m. He awoke a couple hours later to a crime scene.

“They asked me about the body on the side of the road,” said Estis of his conversation with detectives. “They said there’d been a homicide. I said wow. I said that body wasn’t there, you know, at 5 o’clock this morning when I pulled up.... Something like that lying that close to the road—you would be able to see it—just like you see trash and stuff around here.”

Police say there was no obvious cause of death on the woman. Detectives say she was found fully clothed but had no identification.

“From early indications it looks like she was dropped here or dumped here,” said Det. Ken Fregia with Houston Police.

Estis says he’s surprised no one attempted to hide the body.

“Whoever dumped it just dumped it that close to the road,” said Estis. “So that was a pretty bold move.”

The body was left along a road with few houses but littered with garbage.

“I guess throw it along with the trash, you know, just put bodies over here too,” said Estis. “It’s still a person, you know, and for something like that to happen, that’s crazy.”

Police are asking the public for help in the investigation.

“If anybody saw anything—suspicious vehicle that you don’t normally see at this time or early in the morning on this road—please call CrimeStoppers or call Homicide,” said Fregia.

Fregia says detectives are interviewing the person who found the body. He didn’t say who that person is.

Detectives are also looking for surveillance cameras along Kirkpatrick Blvd.

No word yet from the medical examiner on who the victim is or how she died.