After a Houston woman’s truck was broken into near Buffalo Bayou Park, she’s now warning others about the ongoing threat.
HOUSTON — A Houston woman discovered her truck had been broken into just hours after parking near Buffalo Bayou Park, highlighting ongoing concerns over car break-ins in popular parts of the city.
“I just see my window is open. You don’t even see glass on the ground initially because they broke it in,” Daisy-Luna Melton told KHOU 11 News.
Melton said she left her vehicle at the Fondé Recreational Center around 9 p.m. Friday. When she returned, after a work event, one of her truck windows was broken and she quickly realized her purse was stolen.
Just before that, she’d received an alert on her phone notifying her that someone was trying to use her debit and credit cards at a nearby Chevron gas station on the 2200 block of Louisiana Street. When she saw the broken window, it all made sense.
“When I tracked them down to Chevron, I found some contents of my wallet being my social security card and my insurance card in the trash can. And I also found two other purses as well and my keychain on the ground,” she said.
What she hasn’t recovered yet: the handgun she kept in her purse and two old cellphones, including one that belonged to her father, who died last year.
“I kept his phone with me because those were all the memories I had of him, the last videos of him in the hospital, the last sounds and his voice,” she said.
Public crime data from the Houston Police Department (HPD) shows more than 41 reported incidents of “theft from a motor vehicle” in areas surrounding Buffalo Bayou Park during the first four months of 2025. Specifically, on roads, in parking lots, and at community centers on Allen Parkway, Memorial and Sabine.
Similar numbers were reported in 2023 and 2024, and KHOU 11 News has documented concerns about break-ins nearby dating back to at least 2017, when a spike in thefts was recorded along Allen Parkway after new parking areas were added.
HPD advises drivers to always lock their doors, remove valuables from sight, and park in well-lit areas, though thieves can still strike.
HPD also confirmed to KHOU 11 News that investigators are reviewing surveillance video that shows the suspects in Luna-Melton’s case at the Chevron station on Louisiana Street. A spokesperson said HPD is working to capture the suspects; one of them was driving a rented white Buick.
Luna-Melton is now encouraging others to report any suspicious activity they see, hoping community action will help deter future crimes.
“If we really want something done about this and we really want crime taken care of in our city, it takes all of us to report suspicious activity,” she said.
If you have information about this case, you’re urged to contact the HPD’s auto theft unit or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). You can also contact Luna-Melton @daisie_nicole_ on TikTok.