A second woman was found dead at the same marina where the semi-submerged body of 30-year-old Giselle Salazar-Tapia was found hanging from a dock on May 31, police say.
Gofundme
Giselle Salazar-Tapia
Just weeks apart, two women were found dead at a Texas marina and police are investigating the cases.
On Wednesday, June 17, a woman was found dead on a boat at a League City marina, close to where a mother of four was found hanging from a dock in May, a League City spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE.
On June 17 at 12:45 p.m., police responded to a call about a woman not breathing on a boat at the Wharf Marina in Clear Lake, about a half hour from Houston.
“There are currently no signs of foul play in this woman’s death,” Officer Jose Ortega, public information officer for the League City Police Department, told PEOPLE. “According to the reporting party, it appears this death may be drug-related, but that will be confirmed after investigators receive the medical examiner’s report along with the toxicology report.”
Authorities say they suspect foul play in the death of Giselle Salazar-Tapia, 30, of League City, who was found dead May 31 at the same marina.
At 1:48 p.m. that day, League City police received 911 calls about a woman standing at the dock of a marina in the 700 block of Davis Rd. was hanging, the LCPD said in a statement on May 31.
“Callers told LCPD that the woman appeared to be lifeless as she hung from a rope to the dock,” police said.
Salazar-Tapia’s neighbor, Christian Allen, found her half-submerged in the water, KHOU reports.
“At first I thought it was a mannequin, but then we realized we recognized her,” Allen said, KHOU reported.
Officers and personnel from the League City Fire Department quickly arrived on scene and confirmed the woman was deceased.
Initially, her death appeared to be a suspected suicide.
Related: Texas Mom was found hanging from a dock. Police believe it was a staged suicide and suspect foul play
Considering that Allen said he found Salazar-Tapia with her arm in a strange, twisted position, “I didn’t believe the whole suicide thing,” Allen told KHOU.
On June 12, given the attention surrounding the case, the LCPD provided an update on the case, saying, “Detectives and officers are treating every death investigation as a homicide until it can be confirmed that it was not.
“In this particular case, investigators were immediately suspicious because one of the victim’s arms was upright and there was nothing holding it up,” police said.
Detectives believe the victim died at another location with his arm raised, police said in the statement.
“The arm then entered a state of rigor mortis as it stiffened,” police said in the statement. “They believe the victim was then positioned in a hanging position on the dock.”
Detectives are still waiting for the medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death. Detectives have two people involved in the incident, but no charges have been filed.
Detectives from the League City Police Department reviewed nearly 2,000 security video clips, ranging from several seconds to several minutes, according to the statement.
“The Galveston County District Attorney wants to wait for her toxicology report before filing charges,” Officer Ortega told PEOPLE.
Salazar-Tapia’s brother, Nathan Paz, has started a GoFundMe to pay for her funeral expenses and support her four children.
“Giselle was the most charismatic person you could ever meet, sharing a smile and making a friend of everyone she encountered,” Paz wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Giselle always looked for the best in people, even when they didn’t deserve her kindness.”
LCPD is asking the public if anyone has information about this case to contact Detective Bell at 281-554-1904 or Galveston County Crime Stoppers at 409-763-8477 (TIPS) if they wish to remain anonymous.
For more People news, sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article about People.
