'We want justice': Parents of missing UH-Clear Lake student seek answers into his death
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Payas Deo was just 19 years old when investigators said he was shot to death.
According to Pasadena police, he went missing on Feb. 8, and his body was found on March 1 in Houston, just about six miles away from his home in Clear Lake.
"He was a smiling boy. When he was born, I saw his first smile. But at last, I couldn't see his smile," his father, Rohit Deo, said.
"The days we pass on without him, I just can't express in words," his mother, Seema Deo, said.
His father said on the night he went missing, he went out with friends and didn't return.
"The next day, we were just waiting. Why didn't he come? Ultimately, we got a call from police," Rohit Deo said.
RELATED: Body of 19-year-old UH-Clear Lake student found in Houston after he went missing last month
Police said they found an abandoned car in Pasadena the day after he went missing.
It was the same one he was driving the night he left. Investigators said there was a broken window and blood inside.
The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide by a gunshot. But his parents desperately want to know what led up to the moment their son's life was taken.
"I need answers: when, how, why? Who did this?" Rohit Deo questioned.
The 19-year-old had a bright future, a finance major at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, and a strong passion for music.
"He was singing the music, making small videos, making small clips, and sharing on his social media," Seema Deo said.
"But it was among his family and friends where he shined the most. He used to motivate them all the time. He used to give them some knowledge, some information. Like a big brother kind of thing. He used to encourage and used to give them positive energy," Rohit Deo said.
As the investigations continue, the question that remains on top is: What happened the night Payas Deo didn't come home?
"We want the answers as soon as we can. We want justice at the earliest," Seema Deo said.
Anyone with information regarding Deo's death is urged to contact Pasadena PD at (713) 477-1221.
