TX TX - Houston, *GRAPHIC*, suicide, Wht/Hsp Male, 13-19, UP87935, found dead in bus, Jan'22

[bombardier]

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
Race / Ethnicity: White / Caucasian, Hispanic / Latino
NamUs #UP87935
Estimated Age Group: Adult - Pre 30
Height: 5' 1"(61 inches) , Measured
Weight: 112 lbs, Measured

Circumstances of Recovery: The decedent was found inside an abandoned bus in the parking lot of an office building before he was transported to Ben Taub Hospital where he later died.
Head Hair Description: Straight cut shorter on sides than on top. A star pattern was shaved into the sides as shown in photos of the decedent.
Facial Hair Description: No facial hair
Clothing: black "Adidas" brand athletic pants with white stripes down leg -teal boxer-style underwear -black socks -short white socks with "H-TOWN" written along the top in red and blue -black high top sneaker size 6.5.

 

[Earth]

Well this was a strange place to find a body.

 

[bombardier]

I know PD has only narrowed it down to under 30 but I really feel like this guy is possibly a teenager... his skin looks baby smooth and he's practically hairless!
Also looks extremely well groomed for someone who would shelter in a school bus. Hair looks clean/styled, if you zoom in you can see he shaved recently, and the star print on the side of his head looks like it was done/touched up no more than a week or two ago. One weird aspect if I believe he was shirtless? No shirt description and a black shirt is photoshopped on in the postmortem photos.

 

[bombardier]

Sad, but I'll bet this is a juvenile runaway. Was trying to look up missing young Hispanic men on NamUs...there are a TON and most have no photos added. I don't understand why they never attach photos to runaway cases... I know all these guys have an instagram, come on, how hard can it be...

 

[cvaldez1975]

I know PD has only narrowed it down to under 30 but I really feel like this guy is possibly a teenager... his skin looks baby smooth and he's practically hairless!
Also looks extremely well groomed for someone who would shelter in a school bus. Hair looks clean/styled, if you zoom in you can see he shaved recently, and the star print on the side of his head looks like it was done/touched up no more than a week or two ago. One weird aspect if I believe he was shirtless? No shirt description and a black shirt is photoshopped on in the postmortem photos.

the photoshopped shirt is strange unless there was something they didnt want seen, maybe violent injury? but he looks too clean to have sharp force or gunshot wounds, unless hed already been cleaned?

 

[GatorFL]

I know PD has only narrowed it down to under 30 but I really feel like this guy is possibly a teenager... his skin looks baby smooth and he's practically hairless!
Also looks extremely well groomed for someone who would shelter in a school bus. Hair looks clean/styled, if you zoom in you can see he shaved recently, and the star print on the side of his head looks like it was done/touched up no more than a week or two ago. One weird aspect if I believe he was shirtless? No shirt description and a black shirt is photoshopped on in the postmortem photos.

5'1" 112#, he was tiny. I agree probably a teen. Houston, but I wonder if he was an illegal immigrant. I wonder what the cause of death was? Doesn't look like it would be starvation even though he's so small.

 

[bombardier]

5'1" 112#, he was tiny. I agree probably a teen. Houston, but I wonder if he was an illegal immigrant. I wonder what the cause of death was? Doesn't look like it would be starvation even though he's so small.

I would also like to know... @cvaldez1975 suggested he might have had chest trauma and that's why they covered him up digitally (The photoshop is so strange, I've never seen a medical examiner be bashful before, typically they just pull a sheet tight up around their neck or don't mind showing upper chest).
I checked the weather; no way this was hypothermia, it didn't get lower than 12C that night.
Considering his age and location I'm wondering if it could have been an accidental overdose, but he's really clean...you'd think there might be residual vomit or blood from the nose/mouth, but ofc they might have really scrubbed him down.
When I was trying to find any mention of this in the news (I couldn't find anything), multiple cases of Houston residents found murdered in their trunk/truck bed came up... unlikely but if something happened and he was killed, the assailants could have stashed his body in a nearby, abandoned school bus. He's certainly light enough for 2 people to carry up the little stairs.

 

[GatorFL]

I would also like to know... @cvaldez1975 suggested he might have had chest trauma and that's why they covered him up digitally (The photoshop is so strange, I've never seen a medical examiner be bashful before, typically they just pull a sheet tight up around their neck or don't mind showing upper chest).
I checked the weather; no way this was hypothermia, it didn't get lower than 12C that night.
Considering his age and location I'm wondering if it could have been an accidental overdose, but he's really clean...you'd think there might be residual vomit or blood from the nose/mouth, but ofc they might have really scrubbed him down.
When I was trying to find any mention of this in the news (I couldn't find anything), multiple cases of Houston residents found murdered in their trunk/truck bed came up... unlikely but if something happened and he was killed, the assailants could have stashed his body in a nearby, abandoned school bus. He's certainly light enough for 2 people to carry up the little stairs.

Do you think the black t-shirt in the postmortem photos is a photoshop?

The way I read it he was alive when found then died.

 

[bombardier]

Do you think the black t-shirt in the postmortem photos is a photoshop?

The way I read it he was alive when found then died.

definitely a photoshop - in the frontal photo they did a good job to make it look authentic but when you zoom in you can tell. And in the side-view photo...looks like they drew it in on Microsoft Word or MS Paint.

 

[GatorFL]

definitely a photoshop - in the frontal photo they did a good job to make it look authentic but when you zoom in you can tell. And in the side-view photo...looks like they drew it in on Microsoft Word or MS Paint.
View attachment 332646

Great eye!

 

[bombardier]

Great eye!

Thanks, I was checking because I was confused why 'black tshirt' wasn't included in his clothing description! It does seem like he had pants and shoes on only that day, but it was unusually warm on the 9th, so I don't think anything can be gleaned from that.

 

[annemc2]

I couldn't find anything about him on the reports of shootings and auto fatalities.
Houston Police Department - News Releases

Trauma cases go to Ben Taub so he could have had some other type of serious injury - or maybe just ended up there randomly with whatever medical emergency (illness, OD) he was experiencing. It's not the closest hospital to the area where he was reportedly found but there is all kind of weird census stuff happening nowadays, maybe some ERs are on drive-by status.

I agree with you guys, he was so well-groomed and sounds like he was dressed nicely. Except for the confounding shirt thing - arrrrgh!!

 

[rosesfromangels]

The shaved star on the side of his head suggests either Houston Astros or Dallas Cowboys fan to me. Looks more like the Cowboy star actually.

The decedents stature and facial characteristics suggest (to me) lineage from Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. In other words, he looks Mayan to me.

So sad, so young. Bless his soul.

ETA: Aha! Look what I found:
Houston Texans Scores & Schedule | FOX Sports
He was likely at the Houston Texans game and something went down there.
The star is part of the Houston Texans logo too

Amateur opinion and speculation

 

[carbuff]

No tattoos. That's kind of unusual these days.

 

[bombardier]

The shaved star on the side of his head suggests either Houston Astros or Dallas Cowboys fan to me. Looks more like the Cowboy star actually.


ETA: Aha! Look what I found:
Houston Texans Scores & Schedule | FOX Sports
He was likely at the Houston Texans game and something went down there.
The star is part of the Houston Texans logo too

Amateur opinion and speculation

That's a really good theory! I can definitely see something kicking off after a football game, especially because it looks like the Houston Texans lost the game Wish I knew where this guy was found! Kind of unusual for NamUs not to provide a location, they usually give an approx address (the coordinates that come up w/ Google Maps are always wayyyy off). I can confirm though that the arena where the game was taking place and the hospital he was brought to (I'm guessing they would have brought him to the nearest hospital?) are very close - 10 min drive.

I will say though that the shaved design on the side of one's head is really in-style with young men at the moment. A star is a common design because it's easy for the barber (only straight lines!) I'm guessing it's even more popular in Texan barbershops, because the big star in their flag. So, it's possible it's unrelated to affiliation w/ a sports team

 

[Puzzleworth]

Poor kid. I agree with bombardier that this John Doe was likely an older teenager or young adult. He had a few moles and hyperpigmentation spots, but other than that he had amazingly clear skin. No zits or blackheads. Definitely not like most early teenagers.

His hairstyle is another clue. Short sides with two different lengths, long on top. Neatly-edged star designs shaved on the sides, with the hair below the stars shaved to the same length. Zooming in, you can see maybe a millimeter or two of stubble in the star shape. He was probably in the barber's chair within a week of his death. Some kind of weak-hold product is in the longer hair at the top of his head, spiking it up a bit. Maybe this was applied by the barber, or maybe John Doe put it in by himself. And his other hair is telling. A little bit of peach fuzz on his lip and the underside of his chin, shorter than the regrowth of his scalp hair. Not enough for a full beard or 'stache.

All in all, I'd say he was probably a local kid. He cared about his appearance, and probably liked to dress clean. But somehow he ended up dead in a broken down bus without a shirt or wallet. An overdose? Misadventure? Who knows. I hope he gets his name back soon.

 

[Springrain]

He looks so young to me, like a high schooler. I can't imagine him being over 18/19 at the oldest.

 

[bombardier]

Have some missing kids from TX that are ID possibilities but I can't find any info on them, or if they are even still missing Please compare with the post-mortem and let me know!
Junior Rodas Peralta - DLC Sept 2021, 17, 5'0".

Mateo Garcia - DLC Jan 7 2021, 17, 5'0". This seems to be the only photo available.

Scott Saiz - DLC July 2021, 17, height unknown.

Elmer Tut-Choc - DLC July 2021, 15, height unknown. This pic looks very edited and brightened so I believe his actual skin tone is darker...

 

[TristanP]

To me it looks like there are bits of hair in his ear from a recent haircut. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had gotten that cut the same day or the day before and hadn’t even showered yet.

Will they put a cause of death in the profile once it’s known?

 

[carbuff]

To me it looks like there are bits of hair in his ear from a recent haircut. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had gotten that cut the same day or the day before and hadn’t even showered yet.

Will they put a cause of death in the profile once it’s known?

I would say more often than not, they don't. Especially if it's self-harm.