Family calls for accountability after Harris County sheriff’s deputies didn’t find man dead in woods for 10 hours
A Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy and sergeant are being investigated over whether they followed department policy when they responded to a call about an injured man who was later found dead in the woods.
A Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy and sergeant are being investigated over whether they followed department policy when they responded to a call about an injured man who was later found dead in the woods.
The first calls came in on Oct. 3, shortly after midnight, according to the sheriff’s office, about a man injured in the woods near 16750 Red Oak Drive.
When a deputy and sergeant responded, they reported being unable to find the victim, who has now been identified as 66-year-old Mark Hamilton. During the initial call, EMS was on standby in case deputies had been able to locate the victim.
About 10 hours later, around 10 a.m., the sheriff’s office got called back to the same location for a report of a deceased person at an encampment in a wooded area.
“I worried about him all the time, whether he was here or somewhere else,” Mark Hamilton’s daughter Alecia said. “I do believe that if things would have been done differently, there is a possibility that we could be sitting here doing a survivor’s story.”
Deputies found Hamilton with obvious signs of severe trauma, according to HCSO. A homicide investigation is underway.
Hamilton died of a stab wound to the neck, according to the medical examiner’s office, with “injuries to the right common carotid artery and external jugular vein.”
Alecia Hamilton explained that her dad had been living off the grid and would still visit his family weekly. He had been working to set up a place he called home in the woods.
His body was found right near the entryway to what he had created as a home, Alecia Hamilton said, leading her to believe that law enforcement would have been able to find him after a simple search of the area.
“I do believe that if they would have put effort into coming out here with their flashlights and everything else they had, I do believe they would’ve found him,” Alecia Hamilton said.
Hamilton’s autopsy is still pending, and a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office couldn’t yet say whether he was still alive at the time of the initial call when responding deputies couldn’t find him.
Alecia Hamilton expressed concern that possibly calls for help about her dad weren’t taken as seriously due to his housing circumstances, which many would consider homeless.
“Police are supposed to respond when called no matter what, no matter if the people are homeless or if they’re not or if their off the grid, that is their duty,” Alecia Hamilton said. “I hope if any policy was not followed that they are held responsible for their actions and that that gets taken care of so that doesn’t happen again to anybody else.”
The deputy and sergeant have been temporarily reassigned pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation, the sheriff’s office spokesperson said.
