A Texas man was arrested on a charge of evidence tampering after he was caught on camera dumping a blood-stained box with a woman’s mutilated body inside, cops said.
Miguel Moreno, 61, appeared before a judge on Wednesday for a probable court hearing concerning the alleged body disposal, and his bond was set at $500,000.
The victim was described as a woman in her 30s by investigators who shared graphic details in court.
The unidentified woman’s body was found earlier this week wrapped in plastic and sheets inside the bloody box, investigators said.
The victim’s face was fractured and covered in cuts that had been inflicted by a machete or an ax, according to court statements.
Moreno, a Mexican native and father of three children, has lived in Houston for the past 25 years. He was arrested on Sunday after being identified as the person on surveillance video carting a U-Haul moving box on a dolly out of his apartment in the 7000 block of Bissonnet Street.
Miguel Moreno’s bond was set at $500,000.
According to police, the footage showed the suspect dump the box on the sidewalk at the apartment complex.
Police were called to the scene after two neighbors reported smelling a foul odor coming from the discarded box.
When officers opened the container, they discovered the woman’s corpse inside. Cops said they don’t know how long the victim has been dead.
It’s unclear at this time whether Moreno knew the woman in the box.
The victims’s body was found wrapped in plastic and sheets indie the bloody box. KHOUAccording to the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office, the victim’s decomposing corpse was covered in a green fitted sheet and plastic wrap.
The woman’s facial bones were fractured, and her face showed signs of being slashed with a machete or an ax.
Police officers executed a search warrant at Moreno’s apartment and found a blood-soaked mattress covered in sheets and plastic. More blood was found throughout the apartment.
Moreno denies any involvement with the incident. KPRCWhen questioned by the police, Moreno allegedly said that he had not been in the apartment for the past several days. He also claimed that someone broke into his unit and dropped off the U-Haul box.
According to Moreno, the box had a bad odor and was splattered with blood, so he moved it outside.
When asked why he did not call the police, the 61-year-old allegedly said he did not want to get in trouble.
Court records indicate that Moreno has a criminal history in Texas dating back to at least 1995, which includes charges of assault causing bodily injury, criminal mischief, DWI and driving while license suspended.
