Police: Pastor, wife and son found dead in west Houston apartment

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Pastor, his family found dead in apartment

Police say they were found inside their west Houston apartment and appear to be the victims of murder, but won't say much else

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The deaths of a pastor, his wife and their five-year-old son inside a Memorial-area apartment are being investigated as a triple murder.

Their bodies were discovered inside an apartment in the 800 block of Strey Lane at Barryknoll. The Episcopal Diocese confirmed that the victims include the vicar of Redeemer Episcopal Church, Isreal Ahimbisibwe, his wife Docus, and their son, Israel Junior (Jay).

Church members were concerned when the family did not attend services Sunday.

"We're in shock," said Keever Wallace, who attends church at Redeemer.

The concern for Keever began last week when he went to the family's apartment to ask if Jay could play with his granddaughter at the park next to the apartment complex. No one answered the door.

Wallace says Ahimbisibwe's 19-year-old son had enlisted in the Marines and was scheduled to begin training this week in South Carolina. He was scheduled to travel there by bus. Friends thought perhaps his parents had driven him instead.

As the days dragged on this past week, the worry increased.

On Monday morning, a church member drove to the family's apartment. When no one answered the door, she asked the apartment manager to open the door. Instead, the fire department was called.

When firefighters entered, they found the family's bodies, and police were notified.

"It's still really hard to believe that this is true at this point," church member Louise Alexander said.

It's possible the parents and child died several days ago.

The Diocese call their deaths a "horrific and awful tragedy."

Inside a prayer service for the family Monday night, we learned the pastor earned his U.S. citizenship just last year. The family is from Uganda. Ahimbisibwe attended university there, then received Master's degrees from both Princeton Theological Seminary and Harvard Divinity School, specializing in Old Testament studies. He received his doctorate degree from Rice University and also was a minister at the University of Houston.