Carlos Tzep Ajpop was a 20-year-old Hispanic man with dreams of building a better future for his family. He and his friend, Oliver Ortiz, also 20, were both from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, a municipality in the Sololá department of Guatemala. The two young men had come to Houston, Texas, to work and support their loved ones back home, who included their parents and siblings.
Their families in Houston, who were left grieving and fearful after their deaths, described them as friends who were simply seeking to make a life for themselves through hard work and dignity.
The last time anyone saw Carlos and Oliver alive was on the evening of Sunday, September 27, 2026. They were seen together at an apartment complex located at 8701 Town Park Drive in west Houston. Investigators with the Houston Police Department believe the two friends left the location traveling together, but in their own separate vehicles. Police have suggested they may have participated in local car meet-ups that evening. When neither Carlos nor Oliver returned home, their families reported them missing, beginning a frantic search for answers.
A grim discovery was made two days later. On September 29, at around 6:05 p.m., Houston police patrol officers responded to a call about a body in a waterway. They found Carlos Tzep Ajpop in Buffalo Bayou at 1001 West Loop South, near Memorial Park. Paramedics from the Houston Fire Department pronounced him deceased at the scene. Initially, police stated there were no obvious signs of trauma, but an autopsy by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences later confirmed that Carlos had died from a gunshot wound.
The search for Oliver Ortiz continued for three more days. On the morning of October 2, at approximately 9:45 a.m., police received another report of a body in the water. Oliver’s remains were recovered from Buffalo Bayou near 7300 Clinton Drive in the Magnolia Park neighborhood of east Houston, miles from where Carlos was found. He had also sustained a fatal gunshot wound. The separate discoveries of the two friends, both victims of gun violence, led investigators to believe they were likely killed at the same time and place before being left in the bayou.
The investigation into the double homicide is being handled by the HPD Homicide Division. Detectives J. Campbell and A. Dudley were assigned to the case. A significant clue emerged when both Carlos's and Oliver's vehicles were found abandoned together. The cars were discovered near the 10500 block of Keegan Road in the Alief area of southwest Houston, adding another location to the mysterious timeline of their final hours. Police have not released a motive for the killings or publicly identified any persons of interest or suspects.
In the weeks following the deaths, the families of both young men were struggling to process the immense loss while living in fear. While Carlos's family was too afraid to speak on camera, they expressed their desire for justice. Oliver’s uncle remembered his nephew as a good, hardworking person who had no enemies. The families were working to have the men's bodies returned to Guatemala for burial.
As of October 2026, the investigation into the murders of Carlos Tzep Ajpop and Oliver Ortiz remains open and active. HPD investigators continue to seek information from the public that could help piece together what happened to the two friends after they left Town Park Drive on September 27. Authorities have urged anyone who might have seen anything suspicious at the apartment complex, the location where the cars were found on Keegan Road, or the areas of Buffalo Bayou where the bodies were recovered to come forward. Crime Stoppers has offered a reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
