A simple bench at Cypress Park is now doing double duty as both a tribute and a public call for justice in the unsolved killing of Harris County father Austin Kanuch.
On Wednesday, family members and local officials gathered to unveil a memorial bench that turns a small stretch of grass into a permanent plea for tips. The bench features a scannable code that organizers say takes visitors straight to case details and an anonymous tip form. Relatives said they hope the memorial keeps Kanuch’s name and face in front of neighbors and investigators as existing rewards for information stay on the table.
Bench part of a county program to honor victims
The bench was installed through the We Remember Memorial initiative, a collaboration between Harris County Precinct 3 and Crime Stoppers of Houston that places memorial benches in parks and links them to tip resources. Per Harris County Precinct 3, Kanuch’s bench sits at Cypress Park and connects visitors to reporting options for unsolved cases.
Family speaks publicly, renews plea
Kanuch’s wife, Mary, spoke publicly for the first time since the 2023 killing, telling those gathered that “he meant so much to all of us,” and relatives described the bench as both a source of comfort and a push to keep going. Austin’s mother, Celene Miller, told Click2Houston that “we do have 40,000 good reasons for them to call Crime Stoppers” and that the family “will never, ever give up.”
Officials say surveillance may hold answers
Investigators say Kanuch, 39, was stabbed to death in his sleep on Sept. 22, 2023, at his home in the Copperfield area. No arrests have been made, and detectives say they are still following leads.
Authorities previously released surveillance video that shows a thin, post-adolescent person riding a mountain-bike-style bicycle near the 8600 block of Greenleaf Lake Drive around the time of the attack, according to Fox26 Houston.
Bench doubles as a tip-gathering tool
Organizers say the bench’s plaque includes a QR code that pulls up details about Kanuch’s unsolved murder along with a way to submit anonymous tips, a design aimed at making it easy for park visitors to pass along information. The We Remember project has placed similar benches across Precinct 3 parks to honor victims and keep cold cases visible to the public, per coverage by Click2Houston.
How to report what you know
Crime Stoppers of Houston accepts anonymous tips by phone at 713-222-TIPS (8477), via its mobile app, or through its online portal, per Crime Stoppers of Houston. The total reward being offered in Kanuch’s case now stands at $40,000, according to prior coverage of the reward totaling $40,000, and anyone with information can also reach the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Homicide Division at 281-564-5988.
The bench is meant to be a quiet fixture that reminds the public that an open case still needs answers. Family members and organizers say they hope the tribute finally leads to the one thing that has been missing so far: actionable information.
