CHANNELVIEW, Texas — The deaths of four people found shot to death inside a burning car in the Channelview area in 2016 remain unsolved as homicide investigators search for new leads in the case.
This happened on Dec. 9, 2016, on Market Street near Dell Dale Street just south of the East Freeway.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said firefighters responded around 10 a.m. to a burning car and extinguished the fire. Then, two men and two women were found inside the vehicle.
Later that day, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences did autopsies on the four bodies and learned that these four victims died from apparent gunshot wounds.
The victims were identified as Christopher Chaney, 28, Nicholette Briscoe, 28, Willie Norman, 25, and Kelcii Flintroy, 19. Investigators said Flintroy was a student at the time of her death and Norman was her boyfriend. Chaney and Briscoe were husband and wife with two kids.
Normand and Flintroy are brother and sister. The families of the victims are asking deputies to do all they can to solve the case. Now, homicide investigators are hoping to generate new leads after almost seven years.
Investigators said that the last time anyone saw the victims alive was the night before when they visited family around 9 p.m. They added that they believe they were killed somewhere else before the car was found burning on Market Street.
Investigators said they have been in constant contact with family members of the victims since the bodies were discovered.
At the time, detectives said it was a murder investigation and whoever set fire to the car was trying to cover up the crime. Nearly seven years later, the killer, or killers, have yet to be found.
"It's a heinous crime," HCSO homicide investigator Demetrius Lewis said.
Hoping to generate new leads, on Thursday, the sheriff's office held a news conference and asked for the public’s help.
"It's been a long road, a hard road, but I have a lot of faith in trusting the citizens of Harris County to help us close this case," Lewis said.
There is no known motive but investigators said they believe the murders happened somewhere other than where the bodies were found.
This homicide case is still open, pending new leads. Anyone with information, please contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-8477.