A woman in her 30s is dead after a U-Haul vehicle struck her and sped off in northeast Harris County on Friday, and investigators say they are now trying to track down her boyfriend as part of the case. Deputies were called to the 14300 block of Ravendale Road for a person-down report and found the woman unresponsive; she was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to ABC13 Houston, a witness told investigators they saw the U-Haul hit the woman before the vehicle fled the scene. Harris County Sheriff's Office homicide detectives responded to continue the investigation, and the department said in an update that the victim may have been involved in a domestic violence situation.
Authorities are now looking for the victim's boyfriend, who reportedly lives in the area, the outlet reports. Neighbors told investigators that the woman and her boyfriend had an argument the day before the crash, on Thursday. The sheriff's office also said it has an outstanding arrest warrant for the boyfriend tied to a separate domestic violence incident that is unrelated to the hit-and-run itself.
Investigators Canvass for Video and Witnesses
Detectives are asking anyone with information to come forward, including drivers of school buses that reportedly passed through the area around the time of the crash. The sheriff's office is also seeking surveillance video from businesses and homes near Ravendale Road that might have captured the U-Haul before or after it struck the woman.
No arrests had been announced as of the sheriff's office's latest update. The investigation remains active, with homicide detectives working to determine exactly what led up to the crash and whether it is connected to the domestic violence situation described by neighbors.
A Harris County Hit-and-Run Pattern
This is not the only deadly hit-and-run to shake Harris County this year. In February, a 57-year-old man named Rayford Howard was struck and killed while walking from a grocery store to his apartment in the 12800 block of Woodforest Boulevard, in what ABC13 described as a separate east Harris County case. A 17-year-old suspect, who officials said was speeding in a white Ram pickup truck that was later recovered, was arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid.
Harris County's traffic fatalities have also drawn broader scrutiny. Preliminary data cited by Axios shows 517 people died in traffic crashes countywide in 2025, while the city of Houston recorded 300 traffic deaths that year, including 99 pedestrians and 10 cyclists, a decline from 341 deaths in 2024. Of Houston's 280 fatal crashes in 2025, 154 happened on city-operated streets and 90 occurred on interstates, per the same report.
Domestic Violence Concerns Raised in Other Cases
The sheriff's office statement that the Ravendale Road victim may have been involved in a domestic violence situation echoes other recent Harris County cases that ended in tragedy. ABC13 has reported that two women in Harris County were killed by their significant others this year in unrelated cases, despite having sought help through the legal system. Kimberly Robinson, 28, was shot to death by her ex-boyfriend, while Chi Le, 29, was killed by Curtis Holliday, who was subsequently charged with her murder in July.
No further details have been released about the identity of the woman killed on Ravendale Road or the current status of the search for her boyfriend. The Harris County Sheriff's Office has not announced any arrests connected to the hit-and-run as the investigation continues.
