2 arrests made in connection with June murder of man in Cinco Ranch
(Source: Fort Bend County Sheriff s Office)
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - Two people have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a man found with a gunshot wound in Cinco Ranch.
According to the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, a month-long investigation led to the arrest of Gabriela Estefany Cruz-Pineda, 19, and Marcos Noe Cortez-Zetino, 19, who are from Houston and are El Salvadorian Nationals, were charged.
Authorities were called out to the intersection of Westheimer Parkway and Fall Branch around 1:30 a.m. on June 20 in reference to an injured man lying in the roadway. The man had sustained a gunshot wound and had been thrown from a moving vehicle traveling on Westheimer Parkway.
The Fort Bend County Sheriffâs Office said the body found Monday morning in Richmond has been identified as that of 41-year-old Allison Kempe, who had been reported missing last week.
Police said preliminary findings indicate that Kempe, who was found inside her car in Richmondâs Jones Creek, died as the result of accidental drowning.
FBCSO said Kempe had last been seen July 9 exiting a restaurant in the 6300 block of FM 1463 in Katy. She was thought to be returning to her Richmond-area home near FM 359 and FM 723, according to police. Investigators noticed the vehicle when the water levels in Jones Creek receded after heavy rains, according to the sheriffâs office.
Even aside from the specter of a Fort Bend County investigation, the owner has already been accused in an elaborate, multi-million dollar fraud scheme involving the Katy business, according to federal charging documents.
Federal law enforcement on June 29 arrested Santiago Mora, of Harris County, in Miami in connection to federal charges, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriffâs Office.
Itâs not yet clear specifically what those unrelated charges are, but Mora is facing at least several federal charges in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to court records.
Local authorities found a body in Richmondâs Jones Creek in the early morning hours Monday that they think might be a local woman who was reported missing last week.
Investigators with the Fort Bend County Sheriffâs Office believe the remains might be those of Allison Kampe, 41, of Richmond, officials said. The body was found inside Kampeâs car in the water of Jones Creek based on a tip from an off-duty firefighter, according to police.
Investigators noticed the vehicle when the water levels in Jones Creek receded after heavy rains, according to the sheriffâs office.
A spokesperson for the sheriffâs office declined to rule out any possible factors in the death, including foul play.
Allison Chapman Kempe.
ABC13 cited authorities saying a white 2020 Acura MDX recovered on Monday with the license plate NPM-2597 was the vehicle registered to Kempe.
Absolute identification of the recovered body and a cause of death are pending autopsy,
Fort Bend County deputies said.
Kempe of Richmond had been missing since last Friday.
No foul play
Deputies said the car became visible as water levels in Jones Creek receded following heavy rains last week. Her car was found submerged in the creek about 1,000 feet north of FM 359.
During a Monday press conference,
Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Dalia Simons said that there was