Harris County mother, grandmother killed miles apart; daughter called 911 saying cousin is the killer
HOUSTON - The sole survivor of an unbelievable crime spree is a 12-year-old little girl who managed to call 911, telling the dispatcher her cousin killed her mother and grandmother there in Northwest Harris County.
The crime scene of this double murder actually stretches for miles. One woman was discovered dead in her Northwest Houston home and her mom's body was found four miles away in the parking lot of an abandoned bank.
The sheriff’s office says the 25-year-old relative, now identified as Tyler Langdon, has been taken into custody, and an investigation is underway in both locations.
The 66-year-old grandmother’s body was found first around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the parking lot of an abandoned banking drive-thru by a custodian cleaning up a building next door in the 9700 block of Wortham Boulevard. The custodian reported to police hearing gunshots around 9:30 p.m. and called 911 an hour later after she discovered the woman shot several times, dead on the ground when her son came to pick her up.
"I just feel heartbroken. I mean there's no words to describe waking up to a scene like that," says one man who lives across the street but did not want to be identified.
Detectives recovered surveillance video from a business showing a four-door white Chevy pickup speeding away.
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The 12-year-old girl called for help around 3 a.m. saying her cousin, Langdon, who was now asleep in the house, had killed her mom and her grandmom. Police say the same white Silverado was in the driveway when deputies responded to the call, and the young girl was taken out of the home to safety.
Investigators say the 25-year-old cousin came out a short time later carrying a gun and a knife and was arrested.
When deputies went inside the home, they found the girl’s 42-year-old mother shot to death in a bedroom.
"Sick. How could you do it to a stranger, much less relatives? I mean unbelievable. I just can not believe it. The world's gone so crazy. It's like God help that little girl please," says a neighbor named Chris.
According to court documents, Langdon was arrested in March 2023 for Criminal Trespass at the family's home although more court records show there was a Protective Order in place to keep him away. In April 2023, he's accused of coming back and breaking a window at the house.
"There have been numerous calls for service over here to the residence, some of them including the cousin who was charged at one point with criminal trespass over here," said HCSO Sgt. Ben Beall.
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Langdon, who also has a couple of drug charges on his record, allegedly returned to the house and investigators say this time, he made good on any threats he may have made in the past. "We understand that he has some drug issues and is not welcome over here at the house. So how he came to be over at the house this evening, how long this has been going on, we don’t know at this point," Beall added.
Langdon is accused of killing his own grandmother, his aunt, and brutalizing his 12-year-old little cousin.
"He's made threats in the past. He's a big guy, strong guy, and they're women over there with a small child, and they can't defend themselves," adds a neighbor who says he's known the family for eight years.
"All I can say is God bless her. Poor thing. How can she live with that? Only 12 years old," another neighbor says while shaking her head.
The 12-year-old is now staying with other family members.