Richmond police investigate after 88-year-old's body found away from home days after house fire
RICHMOND, Texas (KTRK) -- A home on Fort Street in Richmond, where neighbors say 88-year-old Loretta Turner lived for years, has now been destroyed.
"There are just no words. I mean, she was there. Now she's not," Lucy Garza, who works across the street, said.
Neighbors tell us she was well known in this community and often waved to others as they passed by.
"Friendly, down to earth, 'How are you doing?' Just friendly, Garza said.
Last Thursday, her home went up in flames. Lucy Garza, who works across the street, was on her way to work when crews were putting out the fire
"It's disturbing. I mean, it could happen to any of us around here."
While the flames were put out, Turner, who police believe lived alone, was never found.
"The female that resides in the house doesn't have transportation, so we were concerned when we couldn't find the female at the house," Lt. Lowell Neinast, Richmond Police, said.
That was until a few days later. On Monday, police say her body was found in the Richmond area, away from the home. Right now, they aren't saying the exact location as the investigation continues.
"It's challenging. You have a house fire. You have an 88-year-old that lived in the house that wasn't there when we put out the fire, and we find our body in the Richmond area, that makes it a challenging case. There's a lot of pieces of the puzzle to put together," Neinast said.
More questions remain. How did the fire start, and what was the cause of her death?
"I just couldn't imagine something like that. Like what happened? Garza asked.
While Garza no longer has her neighbor waving to her, she put down plastic flowers in her honor
"She loved plastic flowers. She always had plastic flowers along the side."
