A 21-year-old international student was found shot to death in her Houston home on Monday.
A suspect was photographed on surveillance footage leaving the crime scene Saturday night.
The victim was identified as Muna Pandey, an only child from Nepal who had been studying nursing abroad in Texas. She was taking classes at Houston Community College and working at a local phone store.
This is the second college student found murdered in Houston this week.
Andrea Rodriguez Avila, a junior at Rice University, was found dead inside her dorm room alongside her boyfriend just an hour earlier. Police said Avila was the victim of a murder-suicide.
Muna Pandey, a 21-year-old international student from Nepal, was studying nursing in Houston.
A suspect was photographed on surveillance footage leaving Pandey’s apartment on Saturday. He has not been identified.
Police have released images of Pandey’s alleged killer and asked the public to help identify him.
“Homicide detectives are searching for this man in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman at 6363 West Airport Blvd. on Monday,” the Houston Police Department said in a statement Wednesday.
“We demand justice for Muna Pandey, my dear friend and former roommate, who was tragically taken from us,” Muna’s former roommate Orusha Niraula added in a Facebook post.
“She was shot in her own home in Houston… the pain of losing her in such a violent way is unbearable.”
Police said they arrived at the woman’s rented apartment on West Airport Boulevard around 5:35 p.m. after receiving an anonymous tip reporting a body in the unit.
The caller was not identified.
Meanwhile, family sources revealed that Pandey was in a relationship with a white American man and had expressed concerns over the stability of the relationship.
She expressed those concerns to her mother Anita, she reported. a nonprofit organization that covers stories about Nepalese people based in New York.
He also said Muna’s cell phone was inaccessible for three days before she was found, and that the surveillance posted by the Houston Police Department was taken around 9:48 p.m. Saturday.
Pictured is the apartment complex where Pandey was found shot dead after an anonymous tip-off.
“HPD patrol officers responded to a ‘person down’ call and found the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside an apartment,” police said in an accompanying news release Wednesday.
Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
‘Staff at the apartment complex told officers that before they called 911, they received an anonymous call about a dead body inside the apartment. At this time, the motive is not known.’
His body, riddled with bullet wounds, was sent for autopsy, they added, while a search is underway for the suspect responsible.
“We will not rest until those responsible for this senseless act are brought to justice,” Niraula said of the social media search.
‘Muna deserves to be remembered for the incredible person she was and we will continue to fight for the justice she deserves.’
She added that the nursing student had been “like a sister to (her)” and was always “full of life, kindness and joy.”
“Her cheerful personality and infectious laugh made every moment brighter,” she added.
Meanwhile, family sources have reportedly revealed that Pandey was in a relationship with a white American man and had expressed concerns about the stability of the relationship. She reportedly expressed these concerns to her mother, Anita.
The incident comes after Rice University junior Andrea Rodriguez Avila was found shot to death inside her dorm room in Houston an hour earlier. She was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. A note was reportedly found
“It’s heartbreaking that someone so wonderful has been taken from us so cruelly.”
Police said no weapon was found at the crime scene and they have not yet named a suspect.
The man seen in the images remained at large and unidentified as of Wednesday evening.
However, he is considered a suspect because his name and whereabouts are unknown.
At 4:30 p.m. Monday, Andrea Rodriguez Avila, a 21-year-old junior at Rice University, was found shot to death inside her dorm room with a man believed to be her boyfriend.
He was found dead with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. A note was reportedly found.