Houston, TX – Houston police are investigating the death of a man discovered in the backseat of a marked police vehicle in downtown Houston on Saturday afternoon. The body of the man, believed to be in his 40s, was found inside a Ford Explorer patrol vehicle at 150 Chenevert Street, near the intersection of I-69 and Runnels Street.
According to investigators, the officer who was assigned to the vehicle had parked it in a designated area around 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, following the end of his shift. When the officer returned to the vehicle on Saturday at approximately 2 p.m. for his next shift, he noticed items on the front passenger seat that did not belong to him. Upon opening the front passenger door, the officer found the man’s body in the backseat, inside the vehicle’s prisoner cage.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the man, who is believed to have been homeless, was not arrested by the Houston Police Department (HPD). Authorities suspect that the man had entered the patrol vehicle and locked himself inside the rear compartment. The vehicle’s design, which prevents prisoners from opening the rear door from the inside, likely trapped him. Investigators believe the man attempted to crawl through the rear cage into the vehicle’s cargo area, but became stuck in the process.
Police also confirmed that the patrol vehicle had not been driven since it was parked on Wednesday, with the mileage showing no movement during the time between the officer’s shifts.
As of now, the man’s identity and the cause of his death have not been released. The investigation is ongoing, and HPD is urging anyone with information about the incident to contact the Homicide Division’s Special Investigations Unit at 713-308-3600.
