Now investigators are trying to answer several questions, including who is the victim, why was she there and, most importantly, who killed her?
At one time the Haverstock Hills apartment complex was considered the most dangerous complex in the Houston area. A landmark injunction against gangs was supposed to help cut down on crime there.
Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office spent hours on the scene early Thursday morning. But detectives have few answers and a lot of unanswered questions.
It was just before 5:30am.
"All I heard was a gunshot and I woke up," said resident Monique Thomas.
Thomas says she looked out of her window at the Haverstock Hills apartments and saw the doors to an SUV wide open and a woman lying on the sidewalk. Thomas went outside to help.
She said, "She was gasping and I knew she was just dying. It was hard to watch."
And it was even harder for Thomas' 10-year-old daughter, who had to walk by the woman's body on her way to school.
"I had my eyes closed walking down," Ashley Thomas said.
So far it's been somewhat of a mystery for the Harris County Sheriff's Office, which over several hours, spoke with several witnesses and double-checked several stories, with few answers.
"We have a lot of work to do at this point, find out why she was here, what happened," explained Sgt. Felipe Rivera.
Neighbors are hoping something will lead to a break in this case.
One resident said, "Everybody has their day but it didn't look like it was her time."
"Watching her last breath, it was terrible for me," Thomas said. "Something I never would have thought I would ever live to see."
The investigation continues. Homicide detectives say despite witnesses reporting they heard a gunshot, they still don't know how the woman died. As for a motive, they are looking into everything, including robbery, but they have a long way to go.
