'I have nothing,' Single mother locked out of Texas City apartment and stripped of valuables

TEXAS CITY, Texas (KTRK) -- Important documents, clothing, and even a loved one's ashes are things a Texas City single mother told ABC13 all disappeared last week after she was locked out of her apartment by two men who appeared to work in her building.

"I've got on mismatched socks. We got nothing. That's it," she said.

Little was left behind in the unit, aside from cigarette burns and drugs.

"Like, blunt buds or whatever," she explained, adding that she does not smoke.

Valuables are gone, including jewelry from the woman's deceased mother and cousin and the ashes of her boyfriend, who died a few months ago.

"Can you replace that? You can't get that back," she cried.

Her family's social security cards, birth certificates, and housing vouchers are also missing, which is why she asked ABC13 not to publish their names.

"I don't feel safe. I don't," she said.

The woman told ABC13 it all disappeared after she came home to a locked apartment on Thursday.

"I'm banging (and) banging (on the door) for at least over 30 minutes. Kicking and everything," she explained. She said the door was deadbolted from the inside.

She called the apartment management, who said it was likely pest control. Eventually, two men, dressed as maintenance workers came out

"One of them told me, 'Eviction.' The other one stated, 'Oh no, it's not an eviction. Your unit was listed as a move-out.'"

A spokesperson for the Texas City Housing Authority, which helps the woman with rent, told ABC13 she is in "good standing" and, to their knowledge, there is no reason for eviction.

"I work hard," she cried.

The woman told ABC13 she has pressed the apartment manager for answers but feels they have been evasive. She said management told her the incident appeared to be a mistake.

ABC13 spent two days trying to contact the complexes' manager over the phone, by email, and in person. When she finally showed up at the office Monday afternoon, she drove away from ABC13's crew, entered the building through a back door, and locked them out of the leasing office.

ABC13 again called the office's mainline.

A woman on the phone said she did not have any information because she was a temporary employee who "just started working here today," She declined to say why she was hired after being asked if another employee had been fired or resigned.

"Unfortunately, we won't be able to open the door right now because we do have a situation right now," the woman said.

ABC13 spoke with one of the maintenance employees involved. He simply stated, "No comment," and walked away.

A Texas City Police detective told ABC13 they are "actively investigating" the incident. The mother told ABC13 she has obtained an attorney.

For more updates on this story, follow Shannon Ryan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.