"I heard someone hysterically, yelling," said neighbor Cindy Smith.
Then came emergency crews and police.
"They were combing the entire area and knocking on everyones' doors to see if anyone heard anything or saw anything," said Smith.
Leiah Jackson, 27, had stumbled from her home at the back of a four-plex to her mother's front door in the front. She was bleeding from almost two dozen stab wounds, a relative says.
Leiah was eight months pregnant. Neither mother nor unborn son survived.
"She didn't deserve this. She's never hurt a flea," said Leiah's cousin, Tommy Jackson. "She's never done anything to hurt anyone and anytime you saw her she had a smile on her face."
Jackson's family showed us inside her home where fingerprint dust was still fresh. A closet was out of sorts and on a plastic bin, there was blood.
She lived there with her boyfriend. Missouri City police believe the stabbing may have been the result of a domestic dispute, but to complicate matters, less than 12 hours later, the body of a 20-year-old man was discovered in the 6300 block of West Airport. He was shot to death and investigators are looking into whether the two deaths are connected.
Jackson's family is suspicious. No one has seen or heard from Jackson's boyfriend since her death and his car hasn't moved. For now, though, they're grieving for a mother and the child they never knew.
"She lived a life full of life. How can I say it? She was working on a master's degree, looking forward to having a baby," said Jackson. "Whatever evil came upon us, it was total evilness."
Jackson worked as a clinic aide at Jones Elementary School. Fort Bend ISD officials tell us counselors will be at the campus today to help students and staff cope with the loss.
Both Houston police and Missouri City police are investigating the murders. Houston police say they have a person of interest in custody, but no charges have been filed.
