Photo: Zúñiga Family / Courtesy
HOUSTON – The family of a young Hispanic woman, who allegedly committed suicide while jumping off an elevated street in the east of the city this past Sunday, she finds herself searching for answers after her daughter left her house for her first date with a young man and ended up dead.
Initially, the Police believed that Jesslyn Zúñiga committed suicide when she was found under a a bridge located at the intersection of the East Freeway and Gregg Street at about 3 am on Sunday.
The Police now admit that the investigation remains open after a man came forward to give his version of an accident.
Meanwhile, the young woman’s father does not believe that her daughter intentionally jumped off the bridge.
“We are honoring my daughter. She was young, beautiful and full of life. She would never have jumped to her death, she was full of life, she had just graduated and had many plans, ”said José Zúñiga in an interview with ABC 12.
Zúñiga said that her daughter was picked up from her house on Saturday night to go out with a young man she was going to meet for the first time, and it was also the first time she was allowed to go out alone on a date with someone. The father said he became concerned when his daughter didn’t come home.
The family went out to look for the young woman and called hospitals.
Police announced that they received reports of a gray Dodge Ram truck that had crashed several times into a retaining wall on the highway. Witnesses told officers they heard disturbances and a man screaming. The man fled the scene running. The driver of that truck later showed up at a Houston Police station and told investigators that he was involved in an accident and that a woman had been ejected from the truck.
The case remains under investigation and as of Tuesday no charges have been filed against the driver. Police have not confirmed whether the case is related to the young woman’s death, although the incident occurred near where the victim’s body was found.
The young woman’s family asks people who were witnesses to contact the Police again.
If you have reports on this case you can call the Houston Police at 713-713-4072.