TWO CHILDREN FOUND ALONE, THEIR MOTHER DEAD IN A CLOSET — DID A SECOND MURDER CASE FINALLY BREAK THE 19-YEAR MYSTERY?
HOUSTON, TEXAS, November 7, 2026 — For nearly two decades, the family of a young Houston mother waited for answers after she was found strangled inside her apartment, leaving behind two small children.
But the latest development in the 2007 cold case has introduced a disturbing connection to another killing.
The man now charged with her murder was already sitting in jail, accused of killing a different person in 2023.
Houston police have charged 47-year-old Zachary Harper in the death of his former girlfriend, 29-year-old Yoshea Jarmon, who was found dead on September 15, 2007.
Investigators say additional evidence testing and renewed investigative work helped bring the case to prosecutors.
Yet the most haunting detail dates back to the day Jarmon's body was discovered.
Her two young children had been found outside their apartment without an adult.
When her brother came to investigate, he discovered his sister's body inside a closet.
Now, nearly 19 years later, the case has taken a major turn.
TWO CHILDREN OUTSIDE — A MOTHER DEAD INSIDE
The tragedy unfolded at an apartment on Crofton Street in northeast Houston.
According to ABC News, neighbors noticed Jarmon's two young children outside the residence without their mother and contacted relatives.
Her brother, Terance Jarmon, went to check on the situation.
What he discovered was devastating.
His sister was dead inside a closet.
Police determined that she had been strangled. According to the family's account reported by ABC, an electrical cord had been used, and one of her arms had been slashed.
The discovery launched a homicide investigation that would remain unresolved for years.
Jarmon was just 29 years old.
Her death left two children without their mother and a family searching for answers about what had happened inside the apartment.
Investigators began examining people connected to the victim, including her boyfriend at the time.
THE BOYFRIEND WHO DREW EARLY SUSPICION
Zachary Harper was among the individuals whose movements drew attention during the initial investigation.
According to Houston police, witnesses reported seeing a man believed to be Harper near Jarmon's apartment around the time she was found dead.
Another detail emerged when investigators traced the victim's missing vehicle.
Police said Jarmon's car had been taken and was recovered several days later near a location where Harper had been staying.
Her brother also recalled behavior that made him suspicious.
Terance Jarmon told ABC13 that Harper did not return home and did not contact the family to check on the children afterward.
For the grieving family, those circumstances raised troubling questions.
But investigators did not have enough evidence at the time to bring a murder charge.
The victim's brother said fingerprint evidence involving Jarmon and Harper had been inconclusive.
The case remained open.
And the years continued to pass.
A HISTORY OF ALLEGED VIOLENCE
As detectives revisited the case, another important aspect of Jarmon's relationship with Harper came into focus.
Houston police said cold case investigators believe there had been a history of domestic violence between the two.
Her brother told ABC13 that he learned only after her death that Harper had allegedly been physically abusive toward his sister.
Those allegations became part of the broader background examined by investigators.
However, a history of alleged abuse does not by itself establish responsibility for a homicide.
Authorities still needed evidence connecting the accused man to Jarmon's death.
For years, the case remained unresolved despite the concerns raised by relatives and the information investigators had collected.
Then another murder investigation brought Harper into custody.
A SECOND MURDER CHARGE CHANGES THE STORY
In April 2026, Harper was arrested and charged in an unrelated homicide.
That case involved the September 10, 2023, shooting death of 26-year-old Armin Mirazimi in Houston.
Harper was already being held in the Harris County Jail when police revisited the 2007 case.
According to Jarmon's brother, the new arrest prompted detectives to take another look at his sister's death and conduct additional testing.
The Houston Police Department confirmed that its Cold Case Unit carried out further investigation and evidence testing before consulting the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
The department has not publicly detailed which test results or other newly evaluated evidence supported the latest charge.
That distinction matters because the exact breakthrough has not yet been fully explained.
Nevertheless, the renewed investigation produced a major development.
On November 3, 2026, Harper was charged with murder in connection with Jarmon's death.
The Houston Police Department publicly announced the charge the following day.
After almost 19 years, the man who had drawn suspicion during the original investigation was formally accused in the case.
WHAT CHANGED AFTER NEARLY TWO DECADES?
The timing of the new charge has drawn attention to the relationship between the two investigations.
Harper's arrest in the 2023 homicide meant he was already in custody when detectives completed additional work on Jarmon's case.
But authorities have not announced that the two killings are connected or that they involved the same motive.
They are being treated as separate criminal cases.
The available reporting also does not establish whether new forensic technology, previously untested evidence or a combination of investigative findings ultimately persuaded prosecutors to file charges.
What police have confirmed is that additional investigation and evidence testing preceded the decision.
For Jarmon's family, the charge represents a development they had awaited for almost two decades.
But criminal charges are not the same as a conviction.
Harper is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
He is also accused, but has not been convicted, in the separate 2023 homicide.
THE FAMILY WHO WAITED 19 YEARS
The passage of time is one of the most painful aspects of the case.
Jarmon's children were young when their mother died.
Nearly 19 years have passed since neighbors found them outside the apartment and their uncle discovered their mother's body.
For the family, the original questions did not disappear with time.
Why was Jarmon killed?
What happened inside the apartment?
And why did the investigation take so long to reach the point of a criminal charge?
The new prosecution may provide an opportunity for some of those questions to be addressed through the legal process.
Harper remains in custody without bond, according to ABC News.
His listed attorney did not respond to the outlet's request for comment.
THE MYSTERY THAT IS NOT YET FULLY RESOLVED
The Houston Police Department has now identified and charged a suspect in a homicide that went unresolved for almost two decades.
But the case has not reached a verdict.
Several important questions remain, including what specific evidence supported the new charge and what prosecutors will present in court.
The relationship between the original investigation and the separate 2023 murder case is also likely to remain an important part of the public's understanding of the developments.
For now, authorities have confirmed two separate murder accusations against the same man.
The evidence in each case must be evaluated independently.
What began in 2007 with two children found outside an apartment has returned to the courts nearly 19 years later.
And while the latest charge marks a significant development, the final determination of responsibility remains ahead.
For Yoshea Jarmon's family, the search for answers has entered a new chapter.
