KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
September 11, 2024
By Natalie Cook Clark
A Katy resident is wanting answers after her dog was shot during a home burglary in the Sundown neighborhood. The burglars also went through her son’s ashes. The dog will recover, but their peace of mind has not.
Photo credit: Barbara George
Home Broken Into, Dog Shot
On Thursday, September 5, 2024, Barbara George came home during lunch to let her dogs out and walked into a scene she’ll never forget. Not only had her home been broken into, but one of her dogs had been shot on the right shoulder.
Went Through Son's Ashes, Took his Clothes
“I went into my home fearful someone was there,” says Barbara George. “But, I had to protect my dogs. I saw they were in so much distress... they pushed through the door. I was so shaken I could hardly use my phone.”
“They gave my dogs dog treats,” says Barbara George. “They took all of my mother's jewelry that I had after her passing. They took my son's belongings and even went through his ashes.”
Her son passed away in 2019 and they went through his ashes and belongings. George also has three rescue dogs and one of them, Bailey had been shot on her right shoulder. Fortunately, she will recover.
George has lived in the Sundown neighborhood off of Fort Laramie Drive for 13 years. Her home backs up to a retention area and the suspects broke in and entered through her back door. All her lights were left on and the AC had been turned down to 60 degrees.
The break-in occurred sometime between 5:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Because they left a flashlight, she believes that they arrived just after she left. When she left for work, she did see two males walking around.
She has filed a police report with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office who took evidence including a flashlight and a bullet casing, but is not happy with the lack of communication.
“I can’t believe someone would stoop so low to go through someone's life and belongings,” says George. “They even went through my son's ashes... what kind of person are you?”
George hopes that her story will help raise awareness about the ongoing burglaries that keep happening in the Sundown community. Her neighbor was burglarized a few houses down and is still waiting for answers.
While George is scared, she is thankful that her dogs are with her and that Bailey will recover, but they will forever be traumatized by this.
“I failed them,” says George. “I work and I was not home to help them.”
“What angers me the most is about my son's things,” says George. “They rummaged through a bag of the clothes that my son died in. and took what little I had of him.”
Katy Magazine reached out to Harris County Sheriff’s Office about the break-ins in Sundown and haven’t heard back. If anyone has information on this case, please contact Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000.