Deundrea Ford Missing Person Case

Oct 03, 2023

Feb 12, 2024

Deundrea

Ford

24

21

64 inches

170 lbs

Black / African American

Female

In a heartbreaking turn of events, the search for 21-year-old Deundrea Lakelsia Ford has concluded with the confirmation of her passing. Deundrea, a young mother, was last seen on September 22, 2023, in Houston, Texas. She was leaving her place of employment, Divas Bikini Bar & Grill, when she was seen getting into a white Ford Transit van with a man. Surveillance footage showed them sitting in the van for over an hour before driving away. Concern grew quickly among her friends and family when they were unable to contact her, which was out of character, especially given her devotion to her four-year-old child. A missing person report was filed the following day, launching an extensive investigation into her sudden and troubling disappearance. The investigation into Deundrea's disappearance uncovered alarming details about her life in the months prior. It was revealed that she was a key witness in a capital murder case from May 2023. In that incident, a man she was with was shot and killed during a robbery. This connection raised fears that her disappearance could be linked to her role as a witness, a possibility that deeply concerned her family who were unaware of this aspect of her life. As investigators delved deeper, they identified a suspect in her disappearance, 51-year-old Yoland J. Washington, through evidence including credit card information from the night she vanished. Despite not having located Deundrea, authorities charged Washington with her murder in January 2024. Evidence found in his van, including blood stains containing both his and Deundrea's DNA, pointed to a violent encounter. The search for Deundrea came to a devastating end on March 15, 2024, when a line worker discovered skeletal remains in a culvert in Dallas. It wasn't until September of that year that the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification confirmed through forensic analysis that the remains were those of Deundrea Ford. Washington was already in custody on an unrelated charge at the time he was charged with her murder and awaits extradition to Harris County. The case highlights the tragic loss of a young mother and the complexities that surrounded the investigation into her disappearance. The initial mystery of her vanishing from her workplace evolved into a homicide investigation that ultimately brought a suspect to justice, though it could not change the sorrowful outcome for Deundrea's loved ones.

Sep 22, 2023

Houston

Texas

Harris County

Houston

No

130257

Houston Police Department

Houston

Texas

Harris County

77048

M.N. Montano

Police Officer / Detective

8300 Mykawa, Texas

8323941872

Local

Law Enforcement

http://www.houstonpolice.org/

1365087-23

2023-09-22

Houston Police Department

Black

Brown

Brown

Yes

09/19/2026