Police have not identified the men or determined how they died after officers found them inside a Downey Street residence.
HOUSTON — Houston police are awaiting autopsy results after two men were found dead inside a north Houston home Monday evening when officers responded to a neighbor’s report of a foul odor coming from the residence.
Officers were called to 11617 Downey Street about 5:15 p.m. Sept. 14, according to a Houston Police Department statement released Tuesday. Police entered the residence and found two men unresponsive inside. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced both men dead at the scene. Their identities and causes of death remained pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
The official police statement did not identify the men, give their ages or explain how long they may have been inside the home. HPD said homicide detectives G. Herrera and R. Barcak were investigating and that the next major findings would depend on autopsy results.
Local television reporting added that police found no obvious signs of trauma on the bodies. Investigators nevertheless described the circumstances as suspicious because the two men were found together inside the residence, ABC13 reported. Police had not publicly established that either man was the victim of a homicide.
Police said it appeared three brothers owned the house, according to ABC13. Neighbors told investigators they had not seen the men associated with the property for about a week. Authorities had not confirmed whether the two people found dead were among the owners of the home.
The discovery followed a call from a neighbor who noticed an odor coming from the property. The Houston Chronicle reported that emergency crews forced their way into the residence after authorities were sent to the home shortly after 5 p.m. Detective Gerardo Herrera told local media that the identities and suspected causes of death were not immediately available.
Police have not announced evidence showing what happened inside the house before officers arrived. They also have not publicly named a suspect, announced an arrest or said that investigators are seeking a specific person in connection with the deaths. The circumstances remain undetermined while investigators wait for forensic findings.
The Houston Police Department’s Sept. 15 release classified the matter as an investigation into the men’s deaths rather than announcing a homicide determination. That distinction remains important because the medical examiner’s findings could clarify whether the deaths resulted from natural causes, an accident, violence or another circumstance. Police have not publicly indicated which possibility investigators consider most likely.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is responsible for verifying the identities of the deceased and determining their causes of death. No verified identification or autopsy finding had been publicly announced in the official material reviewed as of Wednesday.
HPD said the investigation remains pending the results of the autopsies. Police have asked anyone with information about the case to contact the department’s Homicide Division as investigators work to determine who the men were and what caused their deaths.
Author note: Last updated September 16, 2026.