Missing Texas college student’s car was found bloody with broken glass, family says
UPDATE: Payas Rohit Deo’s body was found Saturday, March 1, Houston police say. They are waiting on an autopsy to determine how he died.
The original story is below.
A Texas college student whose car was found with a broken window and blood on the front seat has been missing for over two weeks, and his parents are searching for answers, news outlets reported.
The Pasadena Police Department in Texas said Payas Rohit Deo, a 19-year-old Indian man, was last seen around 8:30 p.m. Feb. 8 wearing a black T-shirt, red pants, white Nike Air Force One sneakers and diamond stud earrings.
He stands at approximately 5’6” tall and weighs 140 pounds, police said Feb. 9.
His parents said their son left home after dinner on Feb. 8 in the Clear Lake area. They haven’t heard from him since, according to KHOU.
“We have faith. We are waiting for him every day,” his father, Rohit Deo, told KPRC.
Payas Rohit Deo’s gray 2015 Toyota Camry was found abandoned near the intersection of Allen Genoa Road and Smith Avenue in Pasadena, which is about 5 miles from where he was last seen, KHOU reported.
Deo’s family told the outlet that the car had a broken window and blood on the front seat, and his shoes were left inside.
Rohit Deo told KPRC his family suspects Payas Rohit Deo, a University of Houston-Clear Lake student, could have been kidnapped.
“Probably someone forced him into a car and took him somewhere,” Rohit Deo told the outlet. “We do not want anything bad to happen to him.”
Police said they submitted tests on evidence found in Payas Rohit Deo’s car and are awaiting the results, according to KHOU.
Police said the missing student’s phone was last detected near his home, according to KPRC.
“Please come home,” Rohit Deo said to KHOU. “We will take care of you. Don’t worry, if anything is wrong with you, we are there.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Pasadena Police Department Detective C. Hawthorne at 713-475-4887, 281-782-5512 or chawthorne@pasadenatx.gov.
“Talk to us. Call us. We are there to help you,” Payas Rohit Deo’s mother, Seema Deo, said in an interview with KPRC.
Clear Lake is about a 25-mile drive southeast from downtown Houston.
This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Missing Texas college student’s car was found bloody with broken glass, family says."
