On June 29, 2023, 43-year-old Laura West was murdered in her Leming, Texas, home on Peach Street. Firefighters responding to a house fire found West inside; she had been fatally shot in the head. Her 33-year-old roommate, Mary Heinz, was also killed in the same incident and was initially unaccounted for, though her belongings and vehicle remained at the scene.

Investigators identified 27-year-old Rosendo Jesus Montoya as a suspect. Montoya had previously dated Heinz and reportedly developed an obsessive fixation on her. Surveillance led to his arrest after he was seen discarding black plastic bags containing partial human remains near his workplace in Pleasanton; he later directed authorities to Heinz’s remains found along a roadside near Poteet. Montoya had legally purchased a 9mm handgun in the month before the killings, and investigators say he broke into the home, shot West when he encountered her, abducted and killed Heinz, then set the house on fire in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.

Laura West is described as a loving mother and friend whose death has deeply affected family and the community. If anyone has information about West, Heinz, or the events of June 29, please come forward.