Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
HOUSTON, TEXAS: A 51-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the presumed death of a young mother who went missing in September, last year, as per ABC 13.
Yoland Washington was arrested and charged with the murder of 22-year-old Deundra Ford who was last seen in Houston on September 22, 2023.
"Washington was arrested in Dallas, Texas on an unrelated charge and remains in the Dallas County Jail awaiting extradition to Harris County,” police said.
What happened to Deundra Ford?
Ford, the mother of a 4-year-old boy, was a witness in a capital murder case, according to court documents obtained by ABC 13.
On September 22, 2023, Ford left work with an unknown male in a white Ford Transit van, HPD Homicide Division Sergeant R Montalvo and Detective D Higgs said in a release as per People.
According to KHOU 11, Ford had reportedly been working as a dancer at Diva's Bikini Sports Bar & Grill in Houston for several weeks. She was reported missing by her family on September 23, 2023.
According to the court records in possession of Click2Houston, officers were able to view surveillance video which showed Ford getting into the van on the evening of September 22, 2023, with Washington.
As per Click2Houston, Washington allegedly told police that he met Ford inside the club and gave her a ride in his van. The article also mentioned that court records reveal that detectives discovered Ford's clothes with what appeared to be blood stains inside the van.
Three of the stains on her clothes included a mix of DNA from both Ford and Washington. By using special chemicals inside the van, police officials also found bloodstains that illuminated in the middle and rear of the vehicle.
Deundra Ford witnessed a murder
Court documents obtained by Fox 26 state that Ford was a witness to a fatal shooting in May, last year however, it’s still unclear whether her disappearance is related to the murder case.
According to a probable cause document acquired by the portal, 21-year-old Quitiana Taylor and Ford went to Baton Rouge on May 10, to work for clients brought by Otis Parker as dancers and prostitutes.
Police allege, that on May 18, when Parker was driving the women home from Louisiana, Taylor planned to rob Parker of $1,500. When the three drove to a Houston apartment complex, Parker was shot and killed. Ford was listed as a passenger in the front seat.
In the affidavit, the gunman was identified as Jamal Brown, 21, and his accomplices as Mariah Green, 23, and Quitiana Taylor, together with Jarrell Wheeler, 22.
According to court records obtained by ABC 13, detectives discovered during their investigation that one of the suspects texted Ford, stating, "She ain't safe in Houston...at all."
All four suspects in connection with Parker’s death were charged in June with capital murder, police said in a separate release. Brown, Taylor and Green were additionally charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
However, in July, Brown was killed by police officers who were serving an arrest warrant on a capital murder charge, per a police press release. "Brown produced a pistol and refused all verbal commands to surrender the pistol,” police said. It added, “Two task force members (assigned to the HCSO) discharged weapons and fatally struck him. It is unknown at this time if Brown discharged his weapon.”
According to jail documents obtained by People, the three remaining suspects are currently detained without bond. It's unclear if they have pleaded guilty to the allegations.
It's unknown if Washington has hired a lawyer to represent him in court. According to police reports, Ford is a Black woman who weighs approximately 170 pounds and is approximately 5 feet 4 inches tall. Her hair is dark, and her eyes are brown.
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