Texas girl, 2, missing and father charged with killing common-law wife: ‘Time’s not on our side’

Authorities in Houston are searching for a missing 2-year-old girl whose father is charged with choking to death his common-law wife.

The Houston Police Department and Texas EquuSearch are looking for Nadia Lee, whose last known location was at about 8 p.m. on Oct. 16 in the suburb of Pasadena. 

On Thursday, police said Lee is the daughter of Jyron Charles Lee, 26, who was charged in connection with the death of his common-law wife on Tuesday night. He has since been arrested and is being held in the Harris County jail. 

Police said that Lee was in her father’s care at the time of her disappearance.

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“Time’s not on our side,” Texas EquuSearch founder and director Tim Miller said Thursday. “I don’t think any of us expect that happy ending. We do believe in miracles, and it would certainly take a miracle to get her back alive right now.”

Lee’s common-law wife, 22, was found unresponsive in a hotel room Tuesday. A 911 call was made earlier in the evening about a couple having a child custody dispute. At the time, no one claimed to have any missing children, police said. 

Two other children, ages 1 and 3, were with Lee and the woman, police said. One of them is his child, authorities said. Houston police officers responded to the scene and left once the dispute was settled. 

At about 10:30 p.m., authorities were called back to the scene where Lee told officers he got into an argument with the woman and put her in a chokehold to prevent her from injuring the children. 

She was pronounced dead at the scene. 

At some point during the probe, detectives found evidence that determined there was foul play involved in the woman’s death, and it became a homicide investigation. 

The two children found in the motel room have been handed over to authorities.