Relatives said the man had gone to work hours before he was found, while investigators have yet to determine how he died.
HOUSTON, Texas — The family of a man found dead outside a southwest Houston apartment complex is waiting for answers as homicide investigators work to determine what happened between the time he left for work Saturday and the discovery of his body hours later.
Relatives identified the man to ABC13 as Santos Macario Chay Tamayac after he was found Sept. 12 in a parking lot in the 5700 block of Rampart Street. Houston police had not formally released his identity in the reports reviewed, and investigators said the cause of death remained undetermined.
Family members told the television station that Chay Tamayac had gone to work that morning. By the afternoon, relatives were gathered near the apartment complex with little information about how he had ended up there. His brother-in-law, Diego Ramos, said the family did not know what had happened after Chay Tamayac left for work.
Police were called to the complex at about 2:45 p.m. after a report that a body had been left in the parking lot. Officers and Houston Fire Department personnel found an unresponsive man. Emergency crews attempted to save him, but he was pronounced dead.
The accounts available to investigators leave several major questions unanswered. Police have not said where Chay Tamayac was before he reached the apartment complex, when he became unresponsive or whether he was still alive when he arrived. Authorities also have not announced a medical finding explaining his death.
A woman who said she called 911 told reporters that another resident alerted her to the man after seeing people leave him at the complex. She described apparent marks on his neck, but police have not confirmed that observation as evidence of how he died. Another local report said police noted no apparent signs of trauma when discussing the scene.
Surveillance footage may help investigators narrow the timeline. Video obtained by ABC13 showed a Toyota entering the parking lot at about 2:18 p.m., roughly half an hour before the reported police call. The vehicle stopped in the area where Chay Tamayac was later found, remained there for less than two minutes and then left.
A man was seen getting out of the vehicle at least once during that period. Authorities have not publicly identified him, announced whether the vehicle has been found or said whether its occupants are considered suspects. Investigators also have not released information establishing what happened before the vehicle entered the apartment complex.
The case therefore remains a death investigation rather than a publicly established homicide. Although Houston police homicide investigators are handling the inquiry, their involvement does not by itself determine the manner of death. No arrest, criminal charge or motive had been announced in the reports reviewed.
For Chay Tamayac’s relatives, the unresolved timeline remains central to the case: he left for work in the morning and was found dead that afternoon. Police continue working to determine the cause of death and reconstruct where he was and what happened before he was brought to the Rampart Street complex.
Author note: Last updated September 15, 2026.