Police spent hours at the former Wells Fargo near Westheimer after the discovery early Friday, as neighbors pointed to months of trespassing and blight complaints.
HOUSTON, TX — A body was found Friday morning inside a long-vacant bank branch on Hillcroft Avenue in southwest Houston, drawing homicide investigators and renewing neighborhood concerns about squatting at the shuttered site. Police cordoned off the former Wells Fargo, near Westheimer, while detectives examined the building and interviewed witnesses.
The case matters now because residents say the property has been a persistent trouble spot since the branch closed in 2023, with repeated 311 calls about people living on-site, trash and stagnant water. City officials acknowledged prior enforcement actions, and the property owner was previously cited. Inspectors plan another visit as police work to identify the person found and determine how the death occurred. The discovery puts a fresh spotlight on how quickly vacant commercial buildings can turn into health and safety hazards when they are not secured.
Police and firefighters were called to the former bank early Friday after someone reported a strong odor and suspicious activity around the building’s drive-thru area, according to neighbors at the scene. Officers entered the structure and located a deceased person inside. Detectives from the homicide division arrived and remained for hours processing the area, photographing rooms and collecting items in paper evidence bags. “I know some of the folks who’ve been staying there,” said Alexander Ghost, a nearby resident who worried the person could be someone he knew. Another neighbor said they had been told to keep away by officers as the tape went up and investigators moved between the lobby and the rear drive-through lanes.
Records show the branch closed in September 2023. Since then, at least two dozen complaints have been made to the city’s 311 system about the property, including reports of people entering through gaps in fencing, clothing and carts piling up around the drive-thru, and water pooling for days after rain. Residents described frequent trespassing, drug use and fights near the building. “We’re overextending city resources when the private owner should have secured this with round-the-clock monitoring,” said Houston City Council Member Tiffany D. Thomas, who represents the area. The owner, identified by officials as Panjwani Properties, erected a fence last year after a citation, but neighbors say people continued to slip in and out. A city spokesperson said an active case remains open for high weeds and stagnant water; inspectors noted they would need a warrant to go inside the building itself.
The site sits along Hillcroft just north of Richmond and near Westheimer, a busy corridor lined with strip centers, apartment complexes and small businesses. Long-vacant buildings in the area have drawn repeated blight complaints over the past two years, according to residents who shared case numbers and photos of litter and pooling water. Friday’s discovery follows weeks of community messages urging tighter security at the former bank and more coordination among police, Public Works and the Department of Neighborhoods. Neighbors said the fence added last year helped for a time, but gaps reappeared. Several said they saw makeshift bedding and candles through windows in recent weeks, and reported the activity to 311. Police have not said when, exactly, the person died or how long the body may have been inside.
Homicide detectives said they had not yet ruled on foul play and were waiting for medical examiner findings. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences will handle the autopsy and identification. Police did not immediately release the person’s name, age or gender, pending confirmation and notification of relatives. City inspectors plan to revisit the property Monday to check compliance on exterior violations; any entry into the building will require a warrant. Additional citations or a dangerous-building case are possible if the owner fails to secure the site or remedy violations, officials said. No arrests had been announced as of Saturday, and investigators asked anyone with information about activity at the address over the past week to contact detectives.
Late Friday, small clusters of residents stood across Hillcroft watching as investigators moved between the bank’s glassed-in lobby and the drive-thru canopy. Shopping carts, clothing and broken pallets lay near the fence line. “We’ve been calling this in for months,” said a shop owner who gave only his first name, Ali. “It’s not safe for customers when it gets dark.” A rideshare driver idling nearby said he avoids picking up at the corner after midnight because of frequent arguments in the lot. By evening, crews took down most of the tape but left the fence secured, and a patrol car circled the block as businesses closed.
As of Saturday, police had not released the cause of death or identified the person found. City inspectors are slated to return to the address on Monday to document violations and determine next steps with the property owner. The investigation remains open, with homicide detectives awaiting autopsy results and reviewing any available surveillance video from nearby businesses.
Author note: Last updated January 4, 2026.