HOUSTON — A 51-year-old man has been charged in connection with the disappearance of a 22-year-old woman, who was last seen leaving a bikini bar in Houston in September, according to the Houston Police Department.
Investigators said Yoland J. Washington is charged with murder in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of Deundrea Ford. He was being held in the Dallas County Jail.
As of Jan. 14, Ford’s body still hadn't been found. She was last seen leaving work at Diva's Bikini Bar and Grill on Sept. 22 just off the East Freeway near Federal Road. Family members said she had only worked there for a few weeks.
Investigators said Ford got into Washington's van that was parked in the parking lot at Diva's around 1:30 a.m. According to court documents, Washington agreed to pay Ford for sex in the back of the van. She was last seen alive getting into the passenger side of the van and then crawling into the back. About an hour later, Washington was seen getting back into the driver's seat and driving away.
Friends and family members were unable to contact Ford and on Sept. 23 she was reported missing. The HPD Missing Persons Unit and the HPD Homicide Division initiated an investigation into the incident.
Further investigation and evidence identified Washington as the suspect in the case and he was linked to Ford's death, police said.
Ford's phone was found but Washington wasn't arrested until Oct. 25 at his home in New Jersey. Ford wasn't in the van when it was found, but deputies found blood in the vehicle, officials said. Ford's bloody clothes were also found in the van, investigators said.
Authorities said they've searched several locations around Houston but Ford hasn't been found.
Ford's family said they knew something was wrong when she went days without contacting her 4-year-old son.
"I'm confident that something's not right. This is not her normal behavior," her uncle, Kevin Carriere, said.
Washington was arrested in Dallas on an unrelated charge. He is awaiting extradition to Harris County.
According to court documents, Washington has "an extensive history of violent offenses against women, especially female prostitution/sex workers." In several cases, he agreed to pay for sex and then robbed and assaulted the women.