In a disturbing turn of events, another woman’s body was discovered in the same Houston house where a rapper is accused of holding a pregnant woman captive for years.
The Houston police confirmed the recovery of 61-year-old Catherine Roberts’ body from the Perry Street home on July 5. This comes less than two months after the alleged kidnapping victim was rescued.
Lee Arthur Carter, a 52-year-old rapper, is the suspect in the initial kidnapping case. Catherine Roberts, who had been residing in the converted garage of the house – the same location where the pregnant woman was reportedly held – died from complications related to alcoholic liver disease and hepatitis C, as stated by the medical examiner’s records.
Neighbor Jedediah Beights, 44, initially mistook Roberts for the woman Carter allegedly kidnapped. However, Houston police have clarified that the kidnapping victim is still alive and was last spoken to by sheriff’s deputies recently. “The victim in that case is alive and well,” said Houston police spokesperson Shay Awosiyan.
Awosiyan emphasized that, as per the police investigation, Roberts’ death is separate from the kidnapping case and that Carter is not under investigation for Roberts’ death, which was determined to be from natural causes.
The dual incidents at the same address are seen as unrelated coincidences by the police. “These are two incidents,” Awosiyan explained, referring to the April kidnapping report and the July discovery of Roberts’ body.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office has not commented on any potential link between Roberts’ death and the kidnapping case. Meanwhile, Carter’s attorney, who was not immediately available for comment, previously stated that Carter did not kidnap the woman and claimed they were in a consensual romantic relationship.
Carter was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping, later released on a $100,000 bond. The case continues to unfold, with authorities separating the investigations of the kidnapping and Roberts’ death.
