The woman's body was found Wednesday morning at the Westpoint Apartments on Lazy Hollow and Westheimer.
The sight of police cars was unsettling for residents at the complex, but the discovery by a grandmother was much worse.
When Houston police finally departed, Apartment 1502 appeared untouched. Inside was a different story.
"There was a state of disarray inside the apartment. That's certainly unusual," HPD Sr. Officer Mike Miller said.
Officers responded to the unit that overlooks the pool at the Westpoint Apartments shortly after 11am. A grandmother, worried because she hadn't heard from her granddaughter in days, came to check on her and what she found was devastating -- her body in the bedroom with obvious signs of trauma.
"The circumstances around the death appear certainly to be suspicious. There was no forced entry. Currently, we are talking to the people who knew her and last saw her," Miller said.
The word of her death spread fast among her neighbors.
"How this happened, where we live in our community, it's scary," neighbor Mallory Taylor said.
The victim, a 35-year-old yoga instructor, hadn't lived there very long, according to apartment management. And though she's part of a well-known and affluent Houston family, she never flaunted it, says Taylor.
"She was the sweetest person in the world. I mean, all of us got together and it's not the same when one isn't here," Taylor said.
Homicide detectives believe the woman has been dead for a couple of days. An autopsy will determine the cause of death. Her identity has not yet been released.
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