Investigators are trying to determine who the men were, what killed them, and how they ended up in a minivan that was sold at auction.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A collision-damaged minivan became the focus of a homicide investigation over the weekend after workers at an auto body shop off Reeveston Road made a gruesome discovery.
“We smelled something weird, right?” said one worker, who asked not to be identified.
When workers opened the rear hatch of the minivan, they found the decomposing bodies of two men inside.
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“First of all, I was in shock,” the worker said.
The discovery prompted a response from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies. Investigators said one of their top priorities is identifying the victims.
“Then we might know when the last time they were seen by family members or friends,” said Sgt. Michael Ritchie. “And therefore, we can start maybe putting more of a timeline on when all this happened and how long they have been deceased.”
A body shop worker tells me this is the minivan where he found the bodies of two men over the weekend. He says the wrecked vehicle was transported from the RGV after a customer bought it online. HCSO is investigating. Latest on @KHOU. Background: https://t.co/9B6mUneU7R #khou11 pic.twitter.com/VDbFau6aIC
— Jason Miles (@JMilesKHOU) June 22, 2026
According to the worker, a customer purchased the minivan through an online auction and had it transported from the McAllen area to Houston. It appears no one noticed the bodies during the vehicle’s transport or delivery.
The worker said he later contacted the driver who delivered the minivan to the shop the day before the discovery.
“I explained to him, ‘Did you smell anything? Did you see something weird?'” the worker said. “He said, ‘No, everything was fine.’ Then I went straight to the point and told him there were two bodies.”
The worker said he has worked on countless vehicles over the years but had never encountered anything like this.
“First time. First time,” he said.
The worker estimated the men appeared to be between their 20s and 40s and may have shown signs of being beaten. However, investigators have not confirmed that, and decomposition can significantly alter a body’s appearance.
As of Monday, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office had not released the identities of the victims or provided an update on how they died. KHOU 11 also reached out to the auction company involved but had not received a response.
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