Investigators say the same masked gunman may have hit Frost Bank branches in Houston and Conroe in 2021 and again in southeast Houston this year.
HOUSTON, TX — The FBI is offering up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect authorities say is tied to three armed Frost Bank robberies in the Houston area, including the most recent holdup at a southeast Houston branch in January.
Federal investigators have spent the past two months building a broader case around the robber they call the “Subzero Suspect,” saying new evidence links the same man to attacks at Frost Bank branches in Houston and Conroe in late 2021 and again on Jan. 27, 2026. The larger reward marks a sharper push by the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force as the suspect remains unidentified and at large. For bank workers and customers, the case carries fresh urgency because investigators say the robber used a handgun and ordered employees to the ground during at least one of the crimes.
The latest robbery happened at about 9:05 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27, at the Frost Bank at 9990 Almeda-Genoa Road in southeast Houston. The FBI said the suspect entered the branch, displayed a black handgun and ordered employees to lie on the ground before taking an undisclosed amount of cash and running from the bank on foot. Houston police later described the scene in greater detail, saying the man approached a teller as if he were a customer, presented a deposit bag and then opened it to reveal a gun while demanding money. Police said he escaped through a nearby subdivision. No one was physically hurt. When the FBI first publicized the case on Feb. 4, the reward stood at up to $5,000. Investigators have since widened the case and increased the offer fivefold.
Authorities say the suspect is a Black male believed to be in his late 20s to early 40s, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a thin build. In the Jan. 27 robbery, the FBI said he wore a lime green ski mask, a gray jacket, black pants, black shoes and white gloves. That bright mask led investigators to use the nickname “Subzero Suspect.” As the case developed, the FBI said task force investigators linked him to two earlier armed robberies at Frost Bank branches: one on Oct. 27, 2021, at about 1 p.m. at 8502 Main St. in Houston, and another on Dec. 28, 2021, at about 9:24 a.m. at 2200 N. Frazier St. in Conroe. Authorities have not publicly said how much money was taken in any of the three robberies, whether the same weapon was used each time, or whether a getaway driver helped in any of the cases. They also have not publicly named a suspect or announced an arrest.
The pattern gives investigators a long timeline to work from. The first two robberies happened about two months apart in 2021, then the trail appears to have gone quiet in public for more than four years before the Jan. 27 holdup in southeast Houston. The branches named by investigators sit in different parts of the region, one near the Texas Medical Center area on Main Street, another along North Frazier in Conroe, and the newest at Almeda-Genoa in south Houston. That spread suggests a suspect willing to move across county lines and return to the same banking brand over time. The FBI has not said whether surveillance video, witness accounts, clothing similarities or other forensic evidence drove the decision to connect the three robberies. Still, local television outlets and police bulletins have consistently described the same distinctive mask, similar physical build and armed approach that made the January case stand out almost immediately.
For now, the case remains in the public-assistance stage rather than the court system. The FBI said the reward applies to information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction, a sign that no charges against a named defendant have been announced publicly. The investigation is being handled by the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force, with local law enforcement support. Houston police have posted their own robbery bulletin on the Jan. 27 case, while federal investigators have circulated photographs and sought more tips as they try to identify the robber. Authorities have not announced any federal complaint, indictment or scheduled court hearing. The next likely milestone is the release of more investigative material, an arrest announcement, or a formal charging document if a suspect is identified. Until then, the reward increase appears to be the clearest sign that investigators want to generate new leads from the public after linking the January robbery to the two 2021 cases.
The case has drawn attention in Houston in part because the robber’s disguise is so easy to remember. In images described by investigators, the neon or lime-colored ski mask sharply contrasts with otherwise dark clothing, creating a look that law enforcement believes witnesses may recognize even years after the earlier crimes. Officials have kept most details close, but the public record paints a picture of a robber who moves quickly, uses a handgun to control employees and leaves with cash before police arrive. “The suspect entered the bank, displayed a black handgun, and ordered bank employees to lay on the ground at gunpoint,” the FBI said in its first public account of the Jan. 27 robbery. Months after that release, the suspect still had not been publicly identified, and the reward increase underscored how seriously investigators view the unsolved string of cases.
As of Tuesday, March 31, the suspect remained unidentified in public announcements, and the FBI’s increased $25,000 reward stood as the most significant new development. The next key turning point will be whether the larger reward and newly released images or video produce a tip strong enough to lead investigators to an arrest.
Author note: Last updated March 31, 2026.