HOUSTON – A welfare check at a northwest Harris County home led investigators to uncover evidence that a woman had allegedly been held captive before escaping, resulting in an aggravated kidnapping charge against a man who was already in jail on family violence-related charges.
According to Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman, deputies responded Sunday to the 15000 block of Darby Retreat Lane after receiving a request for a welfare check.
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When deputies arrived, they found evidence indicating someone had been held captive inside the home and had escaped, Herman said. Investigators later located the victim nearby and transported her to a hospital for medical treatment.
Investigators with the constable’s Special Victims Unit identified the suspect as Warren Brown, who was already being held in the Harris County Jail on unrelated warrants.
Brown has now been charged with aggravated kidnapping. Court records show his bond was denied.
Previous family violence case involved same victim, records show
Court records show Brown also faces a felony charge of assault of a family or household member with a previous conviction involving the same woman identified as the kidnapping victim.
According to charging documents, the alleged assault happened June 23 in the parking lot of a business in the 1100 block of West Road.
Investigators said the woman had arranged for an Uber ride after meeting Brown to pick up their 1-year-old son.
The Uber driver told investigators he saw the woman running away from Brown while carrying the child’s car seat. He said Brown grabbed and attacked her, prompting him to intervene.
The driver told investigators Brown punched him multiple times in the face and body and threatened to kill him before stopping the assault when he saw the woman leaving with her child. Brown then ran toward the vehicle carrying the woman and child, according to court records.
The Uber driver suffered injuries, and Brown was charged with misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury.
Brown gave investigators a different account
According to court records, Brown told investigators he saw the woman remove their son from his vehicle and run toward another vehicle.
Brown said he wrapped his arms around the woman while holding onto the child’s car seat before the Uber driver tackled him, causing everyone to fall to the ground.
He admitted striking the Uber driver an unknown number of times.
Woman told investigators she was pregnant
Charging documents state the woman told investigators Brown entered his vehicle after she got inside to retrieve their child and repeatedly struck her in the head and back.
She told investigators she was eight weeks pregnant at the time and was taken to Willowbrook Methodist Hospital because of an elevated heart rate.
According to court records, the woman initially told investigators she did not wish to pursue criminal charges.
Neighbors describe large law enforcement presence
Neighbors told KPRC 2 they noticed a heavy law enforcement presence at the home Sunday as deputies investigated.
“I’ve been in Cypress for about 20 years now. I’ve raised my kids here, but my youngest is in college now. This is just not something that we’re used to, and it is a bit on the frightening side,” one neighbor said.
Authorities have not released additional details about how long the victim was allegedly held or the circumstances surrounding her escape.
The investigation remains ongoing.