Woman whose remains were found in barbecue pit was reported missing just before Hurricane Harvey

HOUSTON — Nearly a year after a disturbing discovery inside a custom backyard barbecue pit, we now have some answers. 

Charred skeletal remains were discovered by a person claiming to be working around the Peach Creek Drive home in southeast Houston last July.

We’ve learned the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the remains as 24-year-old Miranda Marie Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez was reported missing on August, 25, 2017, right before Hurricane Harvey inundated Houston, according to the Charley Project.

She was last seen at a hotel on Airport and I-45. 

Her parents said she was supposed to be picked up and taken to their house to wait out the hurricane. She was never heard from again. 

was last seen at a hotel on Airport and Interstate 45 on August 25, 2017. She was supposed to be picked up to go to her parents and wait out Hurricane Harvey there, but she never arrived. She has never been heard from again. Few details are available in her case.

We are still working to learn more about the victim and how she died. 

In 2022, Houston Police Department Sgt. William Dunn described the barbecue pit as a large custom brick pit that opens and closes. 

“The barbecue pit doesn’t look too disturbed. So, it looks like it’s been a while,” Dunn said. 

According to Dunn, a family with children lived in the home when the remains were found. 

“I would say this is pretty uncommon,” Dunn said. “It’s not our typical case.”

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