Workers find 61-year-old man dead in ditch weeks after he vanished, Texas cops say

A “badly decomposed” body recently found in a ditch has been identified as a 61-year-old man reported missing weeks ago, Texas officials told news outlets.

Construction workers discovered the man’s body on June 11, along a rural stretch of FM 361 near Needville, McClatchy News previously reported. Deputies with the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene — which is a roughly 40-mile drive southwest from downtown Houston — at about 1:15 p.m.

Because the body was so decomposed, it took investigators several days to identify the man, Sheriff Eric Fagan said during a June 17 news briefing shared by KPRC.

His name was Enrique Godinez, Fagan said. His family reported him missing to the Rosenberg Police Department on May 28, though the last time they saw him was May 19, according to Fagan.

When the body was discovered, deputies also found debris and a bicycle nearby, suggesting Godinez had been biking along the road and was hit by a vehicle, McClatchy reported.

Nearly two weeks before receiving a call about a body, on May 24, a deputy had been in the area in response to a vehicle accident, Fagan said, adding that an officer with a local school district first called it in.

The deputy spoke with the driver of the damaged vehicle before sending them on their way and filing a report, according to Fagan.

However, that driver is now considered a “person of interest” in the investigation, he said. As a result, the sheriff’s office is also launching an additional, internal investigation “to find out further information on what was done when the officer was at the scene.”

Godinez’ family believes he was killed in a hit-and-run, and that he was riding his bike when a driver struck him and left him to die, according to a Facebook post by his son.

“My dad was a wonderful father and friend who touched the lives of those around him with his music and presence,” he wrote. “We are all devastated by our father’s loss.”

Fagan says the investigation is still underway.

“Our condolences go out to the Godinez family,” he said during the news briefing. “We’re doing all that we can to do a proper investigation.”

This story was originally published June 18, 2024 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Workers find 61-year-old man dead in ditch weeks after he vanished, Texas cops say."