A coworker found the overnight employee dead after he could not be reached Friday morning.
HOUSTON, Texas — A missing vehicle and an unlocked back door are part of a homicide investigation after a worker was found dead Friday inside a Bellaire Boulevard business, Houston police said.
The man was found in the kitchen area of Tropical Tea after a coworker went to the Alief-area business because the overnight employee had not responded that morning. Police said the victim had blunt force injuries and had not been publicly identified by Saturday.
The business is in the 10500 block of Bellaire Boulevard, near West Beltway 8. Police said the coworker entered the shop and found the man dead before calling authorities. Detectives said the front door was locked, which they called unusual because the business was supposed to be open. The rear door was not locked. A Houston police investigator said officers were looking at the overnight hours as the key window in the case.
Police said the victim’s vehicle appeared to be gone from the property. Investigators did not release the make, model or license plate of the vehicle. They also did not say whether the vehicle was believed to have been stolen before or after the worker was killed. Detectives said two men visited the business overnight, but no suspect description had been released, and no one had been named as a person of interest.
The shop sits in a commercial area of southwest Houston with restaurants, game rooms and other businesses that draw late-night customers. Police said the business appeared to operate around the clock and served food and drinks. Investigators said witnesses reported finding the doors locked during the night, even though the business should have been open. That detail has become part of the timeline detectives are trying to confirm.
The investigation remains in its early stages. Detectives are expected to review video, examine the kitchen and entry points, search for the missing vehicle and interview employees, customers and nearby business owners. Police had not announced charges by Saturday. The victim’s official cause of death will be determined through the medical examiner’s office, though police said the injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma.
The case remained open Saturday as homicide detectives worked to identify who entered and left the business overnight. Police had not released the victim’s name, pending notification of relatives and further review by medical officials.
Author note: Last updated May 9, 2026.