HOUSTON – FBI agents, supported by HazMat crews, raided and searched a total of five homes as part of an investigation that began in two of Houston toniest neighborhoods.
A townhouse in College Station was also searched, as were two other homes in the bedroom communities of Leland and Suttons Bay in northern Michigan.
While FBI officials will not confirm whether the searches are connected, a check of public records show all homes are owned by Cecily Horton and Andrew Schneck. The couple are prominent members of the Houston art community.
Citing documents sealed by a federal magistrate, FBI officials would not discuss why these homes were searched. However, a source connected to the case said agents were searching for components that could possibly be used for a nerve gas or tear gas. The source also said the investigation appears to focus on the couple's son.
"It makes the case that you can't ever really profile a certain group of people or a certain neighborhood," said State Senator Rodney Ellis, who lives near one of the homes searched by federal agents. "You just have to live with it, you go about your day."
Ellis said "he knew of" the family, but didn't know them personally.
On Saturday FBI official detonated "potentially volatile substances" found during a search of a home on Fall River in the Memorial area.
There was no answer at either home when Local 2 tried to speak with family members. Messages left for both Horton and Schneck have not yet been returned.