HITCHCOCK, Texas – Hitchcock police are investigating a homicide after a 46-year-old woman was found dead inside a home that caught fire over the weekend.
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Investigators identified the woman as Brandi Gregg, who police say lived at the home along North Railroad Avenue near Helen Road.
Police say Gregg’s death is suspicious and is not related to Sunday’s fire. An autopsy is underway to determine how she died.
Suspicious death following Hitchcock fire
The backstory:
According to Assistant Chief Jeff Evans, investigators believe Gregg died sometime after fire crews cleared the scene Sunday night and before her body was discovered.
Authorities say people were inside the home when the fire broke out Sunday. The fire damaged the house, but no injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Brandi Gregg (Photo courtesy of the Hitchcock Police Department)
Police were called to the home on Wednesday shortly after midnight for a report of an unresponsive woman. Investigators say other people who lived at the property returned to retrieve personal belongings following Sunday’s fire when they discovered Gregg’s body.
Evans says the home was thoroughly searched following the fire. Based on the evidence, investigators believe Gregg’s body was not inside the home when the fire occurred. He also says she had no burn marks, gunshot wounds or stab wounds.
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Hitchcock police investigating homicide after woman found dead in burned home
Hitchcock police are investigating after finding a woman dead inside a home that was damaged in a fire days before on Wednesday morning.
Witness describes discovering Gregg’s body
What they’re saying:
John Shandley, who says he lives on the property, told FOX 26 he helped get people out of the home when the fire started Sunday. He says he did not see Gregg at that time.
Shandley says he was also there when her body was discovered. He described how his brother’s girlfriend was searching through belongings in the kitchen near Gregg’s room when she moved some storage totes blocking the area underneath a bed.
Shandley says she screamed when she discovered Gregg’s body.
“I just immediately dropped down and started crying,” said Shandley.
Investigation underway
What you can do:
Hitchcock police are working with the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office as the homicide investigation continues.
Anyone with information about Gregg’s death is asked to contact the Hitchcock Police Department.
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