Man charged with murder in connection with case of woman who went missing in 2024, records show

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Angela Diaz went missing in 2024. Now, nearly two years later, authorities have charged a man with murder in connection with her case, according to records.

On Thursday, ABC13 spoke with the victim's stepmother, Yesenia Diaz, about the breakthrough in this case.

"I had so many plans, you know, for her to continue her school, goals for her," Yesenia said. "It was very hard. It was very disturbing. It was sleepless nights, awful."

Charging documents show that 39-year-old Justin Scarbrough was charged with murder on Wednesday. Documents state that Scarbrough allegedly murdered Diaz and then tampered with her body by using a saw to get rid of her body.

According to the Houston Police Department, Diaz went missing in July 2024, but her body was found in March 2025 in Clear Lake. At the time, police said someone was passing by on Space Center Boulevard when they found her remains.

"We have no timespan of when they were dumped. It could've been within a month or two, depending on the weather, animal activity, or it could've been years. It's going to take forensics to nail that down for us," a detective said at the time.

Documents for the murder charge state that Scarbrough was out on bail in separate cases, aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, when the murder charge was filed. However, the Harris County District Attorney's Office said Scarbrough never made bail on those charges, and he was actually in custody when the murder charge was filed.

"My prayers were answered when we received a call and they connected with him, with a crime," Yesenia said.

While Yesenia is still waiting for answers, she has a message for the man accused of taking her stepdaughter from her family.

"God is a loving God. He will forgive you. I just pray for your salvation," Yesenia said.

Investigators still haven't shared how Diaz was killed or how they were able to identify the discovered remains as hers.