A Conroe woman accused of stealing keepsakes and valuables from inside a west Houston cemetery mausoleum has been taken into custody, according to Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Terry Allbritton.
Newly filed charging documents provide greater detail about what investigators say happened.
Renee Amber Fennel, 37, was arrested on Wednesday evening at her Conroe home, according to the constable’s office. The investigation and arrest involved Precinct 5 detectives, deputies, and the agency’s Strategic Response Unit, according to officials.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Harris County, the case was reported on June 15 following a theft call at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Freeway.
The funeral home manager informed detectives that two mausoleum “niches” had been invaded on June 6 at around 8 p.m. The affidavit defines niches as glass-fronted displays within an enclosed mausoleum that house cremated remains and personal possessions.
According to the affidavit, surveillance video captured a lady coming in a silver SUV, entering the mausoleum, and opening several locked niche cases before stealing items. According to the paper, she was accompanied by a little child thought to be between the ages of 3 and 5. Allbritton’s office stated that the toddler seen in the CCTV footage was with Fennel at the time of her arrest and was later released to a family member.
Investigators observed that the mausoleum is generally only open to the public during business hours, which are Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. According to the affidavit, the doors were unintentionally left unlocked that night, allowing the suspect to enter after hours.
Family members later provided detectives with descriptions and estimated values for what was missing, according to the affidavit. In one example, a son stated that three gold Mahjong pieces had been taken from a 13-piece set displayed in his father’s monument. According to the affidavit, he assessed the set’s value prior to the theft to be around $3,700 and told authorities that the remaining pieces were no longer valuable to the family because the set was incomplete.
According to the affidavit, a relative reported missing a silver James Avery cross worn by the decedent at the time of death, with an approximate value of $150. The same family member also reported that an aquamarine rosary worth around $20 had been taken.
According to the affidavit, the constable’s office publicly released the CCTV video in an effort to identify the culprit. A tipster eventually offered a name, which authorities believe led them to Fennel via a combination of law enforcement documents and database searches.
According to the affidavit, investigators linked her to a silver Lincoln MKC with obvious damage that matched the SUV shown in security footage. According to the affidavit, license plate reader data showed that the car was in the Houston region on the day of the incident.
Fennel was arrested on two felony charges of burglary and theft from a graveyard, according to Allbritton’s office. Officials also stated that she was taken up to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office for interrogation regarding other instances in that jurisdiction.
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