Texas City police confirmed the identity of a 24-year-old woman who friends and family said disappeared six days ago but whose body was located Wednesday in a vehicle trunk.
The police department also announced on Thursday a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest or charges filed in Angela Leeann Mitchell’s death.
Investigators were led to Mitchell’s body after neighbors in the 400 block of 4th Street North called police at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday regarding an odor coming from a white Honda that had been parked for days in the roadway, police said.
The department’s criminal investigations and identifications divisions were called out once officers detected the odor from the trunk, which was then opened and contained Mitchell’s body.
The woman’s cause of death remained pending, as of mid-morning Thursday.
Before police released her identity, Mitchell’s friends and family told Eyewitness News that they reported the mother of four children missing on May 6 after she didn’t return home to Dickinson the night before.
They had actually tracked her location to Texas City that same day, found her vehicle, but saw no sign of her.
Shortly after police were called to the 4th Street neighborhood on Wednesday, Mitchell’s friends and family said they were upset that it took investigators too long to take her case seriously.
Even a neighbor who spoke with reporters said he wasn’t shocked by the timing.
“To be honest, that’s nothing new in this town. You come across that situation every couple of months, or so. That’s just Texas City for you,” David Welch Jr. said.
The investigation into Mitchell’s death continues. Texas City police urged anyone with information to contact their Criminal Investigation Division at 409-643-5720, or to submit tips anonymously, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 409-945-TIPS (8477) or at p3tips.com.