Texas dad finds his 11-year-old daughter strangled under her bed: tells police she only called him home when a mysterious person knocked on the door
- Carmelo Gonzalez, 32, came home from work on Saturday to find his 11-year-old daughter strangled and hidden under a bed
- The father and daughter had recently moved into an apartment complex in Pasadena, Texas
- The police say Carmelo’s alibi is correct, but they don’t have a suspect yet
A father found his 11-year-old daughter strangled under her bed in their Texas home on Saturday, with police still baffled as to the identity of the depraved killer.
Police in Pasadena, Texas, responded to a call from the apartment complex around 3 p.m. Saturday — the caller said his daughter was not breathing.
Paramedics pronounced the girl – identified as Maria Gonzalez – dead at the scene.
Police say the girl’s father, Carmelo Gonzalez, 32, found her under a bed when she came home from work. She had been sexually assaulted and murdered.
Currently, police have no suspects and are pleading with the public to assist in the investigation.
Maria Gonzalez, 11, was found strangled under a bed in their home by her father on Saturday
Carmelo Gonzalez said he left for work around 10 a.m. on Saturday and communicated with his daughter by phone a little later. Then she told him that a stranger was knocking at the door
Carmelo had left for work at about 10 a.m. and had been communicating with his daughter over the phone.
Shortly after leaving, Carmelo said he received a message from Maria that someone had knocked on the front door.
On Tuesday, Pasadena Police Chief Josh Bruegger revealed that Carmelo then called family members who lived in the same apartment complex to check on his daughter.
Relatives could not find her, according to authorities. That was until her father came home and found his dead child.
The 11-year-old’s official cause of death was ruled as asphyxiation due to strangulation and blunt force head and neck trauma.
Further investigation revealed that she had also been sexually assaulted.
Law enforcement officials said there was no forcible entry to the home and they currently have no suspects.
“At this point, the father’s alibi is correct, so he is not considered a suspect in this investigation at this time,” Bruegger said.
He found that the father and daughter lived in the apartment complex for about three months. The girl’s mother lives in Guatemala.
Pasadena Police Chief Josh Bruegger said the department has no suspect yet
Maria and her father had been living in the relatively quiet apartment complex for about three months when the murder took place
“Those who saw anything in that particular apartment a little after 10 a.m. on Saturday, we’re asking them to come forward with whatever information they may have,” Bruegger said.
“We are doing our best to get out and solve this crime,” Brugger told reporters. “As a parent of an almost 10-year-old myself, it’s certainly a cause for concern.”
Police have taken DNA samples from some people living in the complex, but they say it has been challenging to get cooperation.
Pasadena is a relatively large city just southeast of Houston.