Carlos Daniel Lugo was 14 when he was last seen on January 21, 2023, after his mother dropped him off at a friend’s apartment on Tidwell in Houston. He was reported missing on January 23 after failing to return or contact family. On February 4 his body was found in a field on Firnat Street near the Hardy Toll Road, about a mile from where he was last seen. The body was decomposed and had multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators linked shell casings from the earlier November 2022 killing of 36-year-old Arne Richardson to the casings at Lugo’s scene. That ballistic match and other probe work led to the arrest of 18-year-old Zourian Stephon Lewis. Lewis was already in custody in the Richardson case; police say Carlos may have been involved with Lewis in the attempted car theft connected to Richardson’s death and that Lewis allegedly feared Carlos was cooperating with law enforcement. Lewis was charged in Carlos Lugo’s murder and held in Harris County Jail with bond set at $500,000.

Carlos’s family remember him as a happy, friendly teenager and continue to seek justice and closure. If anyone knew Carlos, his movements on January 21–23, or has information about the case, please come forward.