2 women found dead in apparent murder-suicide in NW Harris Co, sheriff says

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Two women were found dead inside their northwest Houston apartment in what appears to be a murder-suicide, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Investigators said their bodies had likely been there for days.

Sgt. Ben Beall explained that on Saturday around 5:50 p.m., deputies responded to the Derby at Steeplechase Apartments at 11220 West Road. They met with neighbors who lived next door who claimed they heard gunshots and had a bullet come through their wall.

Beall said the deputies weren't able to find and talk to the people responsible for the gunshots or apartment management that night. They left after collecting a partial bullet projectile and taking a report.

Then, on Monday around 11:15 a.m., those same neighbors contacted the apartment complex's management, who asked their courtesy officer to perform a welfare check.

They checked, jumped the fence, and were able to see what appeared to be a body lying on the floor inside the next-door apartment. They made forced entry into the apartment where they located two Black women. "One of them, I believe, is 23 years of age, and the other one is 27 years of age," Beall said.

He added that their Crime Scene Unit found four to five shell casings and a firearm inside the apartment.

ABC13 asked HCSO why deputies didn't initially force entry into the two women's apartment back on Saturday. Beall said it was likely because they didn't know the exact apartment where the bullet came from.

"It's pretty high up. It could have come from upstairs, it could have come from outside," Beall said. "At this point, it is really hard to tell where that projectile came from. They tried to contact management to see if they could get a hold of someone with a key to gain access into the apartment."

At this time, the identity and relationship of the two women are unknown.

"I'm fighting back tears right now because it's so close to home." Clarrissa Johnson, a neighbor who lives in the complex, said. "It's really sad and disheartening. I'm going to pray for this family tonight. I know these women have mothers, dads, and family members who are really going to need strength right now."

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