HOUSTON Police have released the identity of a woman whose body was found near Highway 288 in south Houston early Wednesday morning.
Valerie Ricks, 55, was found along the 288 inbound feeder road between Wentworth and Blodgett just before 5 a.m. by passersby.
Ricks was nude from the waist down and appeared to have been shot in the head.
No bullet casings were found at the scene, and investigators were working to determine if Ricks was shot at that location or just dumped there.
Ainslea Wolfe, one of the people who found Ricks body, said it was a traumatic discovery not just because the victim was dead, but also because of what she fears may have happened to her.
It was obvious what had happened to her. That s probably why it was so traumatic because it wasn t just a violent crime, it was a sexually violent crime that we found, said Wolfe.
An autopsy will be done to determine whether or not Ricks was sexually assaulted.
Investigators were asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ms. Ricks prior to her death to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
