‘Sad and horrific’: Mother’s body found dismembered in crate; son charged with murder, HCSO says

A man is charged with murder after investigators found his mother’s body dismembered inside a crate, Harris County Sheriff’s Office says.

Robert Barnes, 36, is charged with murder and tampering in connection with authorities’ discovery of the body of his mother, Lucila Barnes, 72.

Authorities found Lucila Barnes’ body on Thursday in the 11100 block of Cactus Point Court near Barker Cypress and Cypress North Houston in northwest Harris County.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez calls the case “sad and horrific” on Twitter.

Deputies said on Wednesday evening, they received a call from family members that they have not been able to make contact with Lucila since Tuesday. They also told deputies that they apparently tried to make contact with Robert who they say was her son. He then became hostile and pointed a gun towards them.

Deputies then executed a search warrant after they received “several conflicting stories” from Robert Barnes.

Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators were called to the scene to find Lucila’s body inside the home, which was later found with “signs of trauma” inside the garage, according to an earlier tweet from Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.


About the Author:

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.