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Case file

Remembering Ashanti Allen

Ashanti Allen, a 23-year-old resident of Houston, Texas, was eight months pregnant with her first child when she disappeared on April 10, 2026. Following an intensive search involving local authorities and Texas EquuSearch, her body was discovered on April 16, 2026, in a wooded area near Chimney Rock Park. Court documents reveal she had been strangled with a cord. Investigative evidence—including apartment surveillance, license plate readers, cell phone tracking, and incriminating text messages/FaceTime calls—quickly linked her boyfriend, 24-year-old Kevin Faux, to the crime. Faux fled to Louisiana on a bus using Allen's debit card but was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Jefferson Parish on April 20, 2026. He faces charges of capital murder and the murder of an unborn child. The case has sparked significant community outrage because Faux had been released from jail less than two months prior due to an early-release time credit after pleading guilty to assaulting Allen in late 2025.

Ashanti Allen
Ongoing case
"She was my daughter, and I loved her. We are just numb." ~Edward Allen, Father of Ashanti
intimate partner homicide femicide Strangulation Maternal-Mortality-Domestic-Violence Criminal-Justice-System-Failure Early-Release-Recidivism Flight-Across-State-Lines Harris-County-TX

Life and memory

Ashanti Allen was a 23-year-old young woman living in Houston, Texas. At the time of her death, she was looking forward to becoming a mother, carrying her first child into her eighth month of pregnancy. She was deeply loved by her family, including her mother and her father, Edward Allen, who described the sudden, violent loss of his daughter as an overwhelming tragedy that left the family entirely numb. Her family remembers her as someone they strove to protect, noting that they were completely unaware of the extent of the danger she faced or the violent past of the man she was dating.

Timeline of known events

  • 2026-04-10 02:20:00 Last Known Footage of Ashanti
    Security surveillance footage from Ashanti Allen's apartment complex captured her and Faux walking together toward her vehicle. Minutes later, automated license plate readers flagged her car traveling along the South Loop West service road. Investigators state Faux was the last person seen entering her apartment.
  • 2026-04-10 03:17:00 Incriminating FaceTime Call
    Faux placed a FaceTime video call to a female friend. According to the witness statement in the probable cause affidavit, Faux appeared sweaty and frantic in a heavily wooded area. He allegedly stated that he "killed a motherf-----r" and turned the camera to display a lifeless body on the ground wearing dark clothing.
  • 2026-04-10 03:46:00 Text Confession Logged
    Forensic extraction of Faux's phone later revealed outgoing text messages sent at this time. In the messages, Faux wrote that he “had to fight for my life” and stated, “Imma felon then I killed a b*** .”
  • 2026-04-10 03:50:00 Text Sent to Mother
    A text message was sent from Ashanti Allen's phone to her mother, reading: “I'm leaving I'm not coming back.” Family members immediately recognized the message as highly suspicious and entirely out of character for Allen, who was eight months pregnant.
  • 2026-04-10 06:00:00 Tracking to Suspect's Mother's House
    Becoming deeply concerned, Allen's brother digitally tracked her phone's location, which pinged at a residence belonging to Faux’s mother. While the brother was at the home, Faux's mother called Faux on speakerphone; Faux denied having seen Allen or being in contact with her. Local doorbell camera footage later showed Faux arriving and leaving his mother's house multiple times that morning, unloading a backpack and a large container. Allen's vehicle was discovered abandoned nearby. Local doorbell camera footage later showed Faux arriving and leaving his mother's house multiple times that morning, unloading a backpack and a large container. Allen's vehicle was discovered abandoned nearby.
  • 2025-04-10 12:00:00 The Flight to Louisiana-- Bus Ticket Purchased
    Faux reached out to a woman in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, whom he had connected with online but had never met in person, informing her he had bought a Greyhound bus ticket to visit her. He fled Texas using Allen's stolen debit card.
  • 2026-04-10 18:00:00 Formal Missing Persons Report
    Following the discovery of her abandoned vehicle and her emptied purse, Ashanti Allen was officially reported missing to the Houston Police Department.
  • 2026-04-12 05:00:00 Arrival in Louisiana
    Faux arrived at the woman's residence in Gretna, Louisiana. He explicitly mentioned to her that he was currently involved in a missing persons investigation in Houston regarding his "baby's mama" and strictly instructed her not to look up his name or the case online.
  • 2026-04-15 12:00:00 Discovery of the Victim's Phone
    A City of Houston employee discovered Ashanti Allen's discarded cellphone at Edgewood Park. Police forensic teams analyzed the phone's historical location data, which ultimately pointed them toward a specific location near Chimney Rock Road.
  • 2026-04-16 09:00:00 Discovery of Ashanti Allen's Body
    Assisted by volunteers from Texas EquuSearch, Houston Police homicide detectives located Allen's body hidden near a bayou at 11655 Chimney Rock Road, near Chimney Rock Park. She was found with a cord wrapped twice around her neck and tied in a knot. Nearby business surveillance captured video of a man matching Faux's description dragging a body to that exact spot.
  • 2026-04-16 12:00:00 Murder Charges Formally Filed
    The Houston Police Department publicly announced that Kevin Faux was officially charged with murder in the 228th Criminal District Court. Because he remained at large, a absolute felony arrest warrant was broadcast. Charges were later upgraded to Capital Murder to include the death of the unborn child.
  • 2026-04-20 08:00:00 Apprehension by U.S. Marshals
    After receiving an anonymous tip from the area, the U.S. Marshals Service New Orleans Task Force raided an apartment complex in Gretna (Jefferson Parish), Louisiana. Faux was arrested without incident and booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center to await formal extradition back to Harris County, Texas. Prosecutors filed a motion to hold him entirely without bail upon his return.
  • 2026-04-26 12:00:00 Funeral Services Held
    A combined memorial and funeral service was held in Houston, Texas, to honor the lives of 23-year-old Ashanti Allen and her unborn child.

Fatal incident

According to investigators, Ashanti Allen was last seen alive on April 8, 2026. Security footage shows Allen and Kevin Faux walking toward her vehicle at her apartment complex at roughly 2:20 a.m. on April 10, 2026. Prosecutors allege that within the next hour, Faux strangled Allen with a cord, tying it twice into knots around her neck. Surveillance from a local business near Chimney Rock Park later captured a man fitting Faux's description dragging a body toward a bayou. At 3:50 a.m., a text message was sent from Allen's phone to her mother falsely claiming she was leaving and not returning, which her family immediately flagged as out of character. Allen's body was recovered from the park grounds six days later, on April 16, 2026.

Aftermath

Following the discovery of Allen's body, the Houston Police Department issued an arrest warrant for Faux. Investigators learned that Faux had fled the state via bus to Louisiana, assisted by an online acquaintance whom he asked not to look up his name, and was actively using the victim's stolen debit card. On April 20, 2026, the U.S. Marshals Service located and arrested Faux in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. He was booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on charges of Capital Murder in Harris County's 228th Criminal District Court and is awaiting extradition to Texas. A funeral service honoring the lives of Ashanti Allen and her unborn child was held in Houston on April 26, 2026.

Prevention context

This case illuminates several severe systemic vulnerabilities and classic high-risk indicators associated with intimate partner homicides: • The Danger of Pregnancy: Pregnancy is a statistically verified period of escalation for domestic violence. Allen was eight months pregnant with the suspect's child when she was killed. • Prior History of Domestic Abuse: Faux had been arrested and charged with two separate counts of domestic assault against Allen in September 2025. • Systemic Interventions & Early Release Failures: Despite being a habitual violent offender with a 2019 conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a 2021 assault charge involving a different woman, Faux was granted a plea deal on February 19, 2026. Though sentenced to 280 days, a "two-for-one" conduct/jail-capacity credit applied by the Harris County Sheriff's Office resulted in his immediate release on the day of his plea. Local victim advocates, including Crime Stoppers Houston, heavily criticized this "sweetheart deal," highlighting it as a critical failure where an early-release mechanism compromised victim safety. • Information Barriers for Families: Allen's mother stated she was completely unaware of Faux's history of violence or previous arrests, emphasizing how isolation and hidden court histories frequently prevent family support systems from stepping in before an abuse pattern turns fatal.

Additional evidence and source material

Some materials do not fit neatly into one category but still belong in the documentary record of the case.

Social post or screenshot

Wanted Suspect Arrested in Woman's Death at 11655 Chimney Rock Road

April 20, 2026 - A suspect wanted in the death of a woman found at 11655 Chimney Rock Road about 9 a.m. on April 16 is in custody. The suspect, Kevin Faux, 24, is charged with capital murder in the 228th Criminal District Court. A Jefferson Parish, Louisiana booking photo of Faux is attached to this news release. The victim is identified as Ashanti Allen, 23. HPD Homicide Division Sergeant. R. Watson and Detectives T. Tyler and K. Stringer reported: HPD investigators working a missing person case, with the assistance of Texas Equusearch, discovered a woman's body at the above address. She was later identified as Ashanti Allen. An autopsy will determine Ms. Allen's manner and cause of death. During the investigation, detectives developed Faux as the suspect in the Allen's death. Investigators learned Faux is the father of the victim's unborn child. He was subsequently charged for his role in her death. On April 20, members of the U.S. Marshals Services arrested Faux in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. He is awaiting extradition to Harris County.

verified Wanted Suspect Arrested in Woman's Death at 11655 Chimney Rock Road
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News report

Pregnant Houston woman's accused killer arrested in Louisiana

HOUSTON — A man charged in connection with the death of a 23-year-old pregnant woman has been arrested, according to the U.S. Marshals. Kevin Faux, 24, is charged with capital murder in the death of Ashanti Allen, 23, whose body was found last week. He's also being charged with the murder of his unborn child, according to court records.

verified Pregnant Houston woman's accused killer arrested in Louisiana
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