Deputies are investigating a vacant Atascocita-area house, a missing homeowner’s son and a black sedan seen leaving the property.
HARRIS COUNTY, TX — A 31-year-old repairman was found shot to death late Thursday inside a vacant home in the Atascocita area after his family and employer tracked his work truck to the property, authorities said.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office opened a homicide investigation after deputies were flagged down about 10:45 p.m. Thursday near a home in the 12400 block of Crathie Drive. Investigators said the man had gone there for repair work earlier in the day and did not return home. His name had not been released Friday morning, and no arrest had been announced.
Family members became worried after the repairman was unaccounted for for several hours, deputies said. They contacted his employer, and the employer helped track the man’s work truck to the Crathie Drive address in the Balmoral subdivision. Deputies went to the home and found the truck parked outside. When they entered the residence, they found the repairman dead with at least one gunshot wound. Investigators said shell casings were found inside, but they had not determined Friday morning how many times the man was shot. Sgt. Greg Pinkins of the sheriff’s office said the man had been expected at the house to fix a leak.
Investigators said the home was vacant and being prepared for sale. The homeowner’s son was supposed to meet the repairman there around 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Pinkins said. Deputies had not been able to reach the son as of the latest update, and detectives were still trying to determine whether he let the repairman into the house. Pinkins said a black sedan was seen leaving the residence, but investigators were told that vehicle did not match the one the homeowner’s son was believed to drive. Detectives were working to identify the sedan and the person who was behind the wheel.
No one was inside the home when deputies arrived, authorities said. A man and a woman were seen being questioned at the scene, and a woman was seen in handcuffs, but officials did not immediately confirm their connection to the property or the investigation. Detectives remained at the house late Thursday and early Friday while working to obtain a search warrant to process the scene. The warrant would allow investigators to collect evidence inside the residence, document the location of shell casings and review any signs of how the repairman entered the home.
The case centers on a gated community in northeast Harris County, near Humble and Atascocita, where deputies said a routine service call became a death investigation. Authorities have not described a motive, named a suspect or said whether anything was missing from the repairman or the home. The repairman’s family told deputies he had not come home from work, which led to the search for his truck. The vehicle’s location gave investigators their first clear lead and brought deputies to the Crathie Drive property.
Pinkins said investigators were still piecing together the hours between the scheduled repair appointment and the 10:45 p.m. call to deputies. “The homeowner’s son was supposed to meet the repairman here so he could fix a leak at the residence,” Pinkins said. He said detectives also had information about the black sedan leaving the home and were trying to learn who was driving it. The sheriff’s office said the investigation remained active Friday.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office had not released the repairman’s identity, pending family notification. Detectives were expected to continue processing the Crathie Drive home and searching for the black sedan as the homicide investigation moved forward Friday.
Author note: Last updated July 3, 2026.