Harris County: Suspect indicted in case of missing man found dead in burned car, documents show
HARRIS COUNTY - A suspect has been indicted in a man's death after his remains were found in a burned vehicle in late 2024, according to Harris County court documents.
Grand jury indicts Dominique Johnson
What we know:
On Monday, a grand jury indicted Domingue Johnson for a felony murder charge in the death of Winsolon Trahan, as well as a felony arson charge.
According to the indictment, Johnson is accused of shooting Trahan. The medical examiner listed Trahan’s cause of death as "homicidal violence including gunshot wound of the head."
Johnson is also accused of lighting the vehicle on fire.
According to the sheriff’s office, Johnson is already in the Harris County Jail on an unrelated charge.
What we don't know:
It’s unclear what led up to the shooting or the motive behind the incident.
Missing man found in burning car
Timeline:
October 1, 2024: Harris County officials got a call from Houston Police about a car fire near Deerhurst Lane and Braunston Lane. Following discussions on whether city or county authorities would respond to the call, Harris County firefighters went to put out the fire. Officials with the Harris County Fire Marshal and the Sheriff's Office found remains inside the vehicle. At the time, the remains were believed to have belonged to an animal.
October 2: The vehicle was towed to an auto storage lot in Spring.
October 3: Winsolan Trahan's wife filed a missing person's report for him. The case was filed with the Precinct 4 Office, but was later transferred to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
October 7: An investigator in Trahan's case learned that his vehicle was found burned and towed.
October 8: Deputies and towing officials went to take the vehicle from the Spring storage lot. Officials then saw the remains in the vehicle and contacted a supervisor. While the car was excavated, pieces of bones were found. The remains were later identified as Trahan.
March 31, 2025: The case was presented to a Harris County Grand Jury, who then accepted the murder and arson charges against Dominique Johnson.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Harris County Sheriff's Office, court documents from the Harris County District Clerk's Office, and documents from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science.