Police said the men had no obvious signs of trauma, and investigators have not yet determined their identities or causes of death.
HOUSTON, Texas — Houston police are awaiting autopsy findings after two men were found dead inside a north Houston home Monday evening when officers responded to a neighbor who reported an odor coming from the residence.
Officers were sent to 11617 Downey Street about 5:15 p.m. Sept. 14, according to the Houston Police Department. They entered the residence and found two unresponsive men 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.
Police have not announced what caused the deaths or said that either man was the victim of a homicide. ABC13 reported that investigators saw no obvious signs of trauma on the bodies. Police nevertheless described the circumstances as suspicious because the two men were found together inside the home. Autopsies are expected to provide investigators with more information about what happened.
A neighbor contacted authorities after noticing an odor coming from the property, police said. Local television reports said officers forced their way into the residence after arriving at the home, which is near Little York Road in Houston’s Northside/Northline area. Authorities have not publicly said how long the men had been inside the house before they were discovered.
Investigators said it appeared that three brothers owned the home, according to ABC13. Neighbors told police 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 two of the brothers or otherwise identified their relationship to the residence.
Houston police have released little information about the circumstances before the discovery. No suspect has been publicly identified, and police have not announced an arrest or said they are searching for a specific person in connection with the deaths. Investigators also have not publicly identified evidence suggesting that violence, an accident, natural causes or another circumstance caused the deaths.
The Houston Police Department assigned Homicide Division detectives G. Herrera and R. Barcak to investigate. The department’s Sept. 15 statement described the case as an investigation into the men’s deaths and did not classify the case as a double homicide. That distinction remains significant while the medical examiner works to establish the causes and manners of death.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is responsible for verifying the men’s identities and conducting the examinations that could determine how they died. As of Wednesday, police had not released a subsequent public update identifying either man or announcing autopsy findings in the case.
The investigation remains open pending the medical examiner’s findings. Houston police said anyone with information about the case can contact the department’s Homicide Division as detectives continue working to determine who the men were and what led to their deaths.
Author note: Last updated September 16, 2026.