{"id":4997,"date":"2026-06-19T04:31:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T04:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4997"},"modified":"2026-06-19T04:31:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T04:31:09","slug":"family-of-former-deputy-speaks-out-after-thefts-from-cremation-niches-at-west-houston-cemetery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4997","title":{"rendered":"Family of former deputy speaks out after thefts from cremation niches at west Houston cemetery"},"content":{"rendered":"<div> <!-- --> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p><span><strong>HARRIS COUNTY, Texas<\/strong> &#8211; <\/span>A Houston-area family says treasured items left with their loved one have been stolen from his final resting place.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4995\">80 Chihuahua mixes rescued from suspected Houston hoarding situation, causing overcrowded BARC shelter<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Harris County authorities investigating mausoleum theft, family member speaks out about theft<\/h2>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Investigators say a woman was caught on surveillance video breaking into cremation niches at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery in west Houston. Now, the family of former Fort Bend County Sheriff&#8217;s Deputy Marcelo Esteban Garcia is speaking out as deputies work to identify the suspect.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>What we know:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Diana Garcia is speaking out after investigators say a woman was caught on surveillance video breaking into cremation niches at a west Houston cemetery. One of those nicest belonged to her late brother.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>The Harris County Precinct 5 Constable&#8217;s Office says the thefts happened inside the mausoleum at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery along the Katy Freeway.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Investigators say surveillance video shows a woman walking through the mausoleum before using a tool to open cremation niches and remove items left behind by family members. A toddler can also be seen nearby in the video.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>According to Precinct 5, the first theft happened in late May. A second theft happened on June 6. Investigators currently believe three niches were targeted, though they say there could be additional victims.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Family shares grief:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Marcelo Esteban Garcia was a Fort Bend County Sheriff&#8217;s deputy who died in a motorcycle crash on his 35th birthday last year.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4993\">Tay Keith, hip hop producer, dies at 29<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>His sister, Diana, says a rosary placed there by their mother and a necklace Marcelo was wearing the night he died were among the items taken.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There was a hole left in our lives when he left and when he passed away,&#8221; Garcia said. &#8220;And now it&#8217;s like we go look at his niche and there&#8217;s a hole in his niche now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Garcia says learning about the theft has been painful for her family.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s almost like it&#8217;s reopening a wound that never really closed,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Investigation ongoing:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>In a statement to FOX 26, Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery said it is saddened by the thefts and has been working closely with the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable&#8217;s Office.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are saddened that cemeteries and gravesites have been targeted in these thefts,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;Since the thefts were discovered, we have been working closely with the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable&#8217;s Office.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Investigators describe the suspect as a white woman between 30 and 45 years old with dark hair and glasses. They also say she has several tattoos on her back.<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>What you can do:<\/p>\n<p> <!-- --><\/p>\n<p>Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Harris County Precinct 5.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4990\">Houston weather: Heat to continue into Friday<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <!-- --> <!-- --> <!-- --> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Houston family is speaking out after investigators say a woman was caught on surveillance video breaking into cremation niches at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery. The family of former Fort Bend County Sheriff&#8217;s Deputy Marcelo Esteban Garcia says treasured memorial items, including a rosary and necklace, were stolen. Harris County Precinct 5 is investigating and searching for the suspect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,8,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-harris-county","category-news","category-top-stories"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Family of former deputy speaks out after thefts from cremation niches at west Houston cemetery - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=4997\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Family of former deputy speaks out after thefts from cremation niches at west Houston cemetery - Houston Moving Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Houston family is speaking out after investigators say a woman was caught on surveillance video breaking into cremation niches at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home and Cemetery. The family of former Fort Bend County Sheriff&#039;s Deputy Marcelo Esteban Garcia says treasured memorial items, including a rosary and necklace, were stolen. 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