CYPRESS, Texas (KTRK) — The Harris County Sheriff’s Office preliminarily identified the three people whose bodies were found inside a burning Cypress home on Sunday as a woman, her adult son, and his live-in girlfriend.
On Monday, HCSO released the names of three people who died inside a home in the 14600 block of Plains River Drive: Kelly Masciarelli, Kolin Foster, and Cameryn Richard.
Investigators believe Masciarelli and Foster were mother and son, and all three people lived at the home. Their ages were not released.
The sheriff’s office also disclosed that arson investigators said the fire may have been deliberate, started by an accelerant, and the victims died before the flames broke out.
Investigators are trying to find a suspect but haven’t disclosed who it may be. It was also unclear whether anyone else lived in the home.
HCSO is already treating the case as a homicide.
ORIGINAL STORY: Officials believe fire set intentionally after 3 dead in house fire
“Unfortunately, we have seen this before where an individual will commit murder and then start a fire to cover their tracks,” Sgt. Michael Ritchie with HCSO said on Sunday.
Investigators told Eyewitness News about potential leads, including a red Chevrolet Corvette parked in front of the house. They said Foster purchased the vehicle, which authorities towed as evidence.
A neighbor also reported hearing a car door slam in the early morning but didn’t recognize the person driving.
McKenzie Abbott told ABC13 she had known Richard since middle school and that they were “like sisters.”
“She was a great person,” Abbott said via Zoom from her school in Virginia. “She had a really big heart.”
Another of Richard’s friends also spoke with ABC13. She said she met Richard in beauty school and despite their 15-year age gap, became good friends.
She said she had just talked to her over text.
“I was like, ‘Hey, it is a long shot, but would you be interested in getting your hair cut as a model for me when I start taking models?’ and she was like, ‘Absolutely, like duh,’ and I was so excited about that,” the friend said. “That was two days ago.”
She said when Richard was in her salon chair, she sometimes talked about her personal life.
On occasion, she mentioned her relationship with Foster.
“She did tell me the last time we spoke that she was going to get a matching tattoo with him,” she said.
ABC13 also spoke to a family member of Masciarelli and Foster. The relative said both were “really good people.”
Ritchie said they were reviewing video footage as part of the investigation.
HCSO is asking anyone with information about the case to contact its Homicide Unit at 713-274-9100 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
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