HOUSTON — Houston police are searching for a suspect after a 21-year-old international student was shot to death in her home Monday evening.
According to friends, Muna Pandey, 21, was found dead in her apartment on West Airport Boulevard in southwest Houston just after 5:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, the Houston Police Department released a surveillance photo of a man seen leaving the apartment.
Members of the tight-knit Nepali community in Houston shared photos and details about Pandey's life with KHOU 11's Jason Miles.
According to Drona Gautam with the Nepalese Association of Houston, Pandey moved to Houston from Nepal in 2021 for school. She was a student at Houston Community College.
He was stunned to learn about her violent death.
“She had like three gunshots and she was laying down on the bed, with head down," Gautam said. “Hopefully, the investigation will come up with some idea of how this happened."
He believes Pandey may have been killed days before her body was found because her mother in Nepal hadn't been able to reach her.
“What mom said is her phone was always online. After Saturday night, phone was offline," Gautam said.
There were no signs of forced entry when he and others visited the scene.
Gautam said he’s working with the Nepal consulate to help coordinate travel for Pandey’s mother as police work to catch her killer.
“This is very unfortunate to her because she’s the only her child, She’s the only one child of the mother – so she’s very devastated," Gautam told us.
Pandey’s death is reverberating in the Nepali community on social media and at places like Kathmandu Curry & Bar where she was well known.
“It’s very bad news," owner Ram Sapkota said.
He first met Pandey shortly after she arrived in Houston.
“She was very smart, loyal, honest, and you know, we lost her, we’re very sad," Sapkota told us.
Friends in the Nepali community set up an online fundraiser to help Pandey's family with travel and funeral expenses. Here is their GoFundMe.
If you recognize this man or have any other information about this case, please contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
