Family members and friends identify the victim as Gerald Roy, a kind and generous 46-year-old man. They're hoping that the public will help police find his killer.
His body was left in a wooded area of southeast Houston. When the victim's girlfriend was told what happened to him, she nearly collapsed.
"The man had been assaulted, his body hidden in the woods and set on fire," said HPD spokesperson Kese Smith.
A truck in the bayou just a few feet away had evidence of the attack, all of it horrifying news to family and friends.
"Very involved, you know, good person, good father," said Roy's nephew Troy Ben. "He helped anybody and everybody. It's just hard to see it end this way. It just hurts me."
That is why it is so hard to understand why someone would want to harm him. The 46-year-old was an avid horseback rider and race car driver. He had many friends, and according to his family no known enemies.
His family had not been able to reach him, so when police notified them about a body found near the truck he'd been driving, they knew something was wrong.
Michael Hughes, a friend of Roy's, said, "We were just together on Father's Day on a trail ride and I took a picture of him on his horse."
They are now making an appeal to anyone with information to help them find justice.
Another friend, Kerry Moshay, said, "I hope they catch him. I hope they catch him. Whoever did this is right in this area."
Houston police is asking for the public's help. They say tips can be called in to the homicide division at 713-308-3600 or to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. The medical examiner has not yet positively identified the victim because the body is so badly burned. The cause of death is not yet known.
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