Suspect charged, body ID'd in case of missing couple

Police have charged an 18-year-old Houston man with capital murder in the killings of four people, including Maria Chrisalee "Salee" Aparece and Huy Ngo, the couple that has been missing since June 18 and are believed to have been victims of a carjacking.

The man, Dexter Johnson, was arrested Tuesday when police went to a Humble apartment complex in search of a runaway juvenile. They didn't find her, but they did find Johnson — who answered the door smoking pot and toting a sawed-off shotgun — as well as three stolen cars, including Aparece's 2003 Toyota Matrix. Johnson has been charged with killing Brady Davis around May 26; Aparece and Ngo, apparently on June 18; and Jose Morales Lopez around June 20, all during robberies. He has told police he "encountered" Aparece and Ngo, but released them safely in the Acres Homes area. Police believe Aparece's car was used in at least two other carjackings in the area: one early June 18, shortly after Aparece and Ngo were last heard from, in Sealy and another later that day in southwest Harris County.

Also in the case, KTRK reported this weekend that police have identified Aparece's body, which was one of two found in an overgrown lot in the 10400 block of Gateway in northeast Houston. Protasio Aparece, her dad, said he was told about the ID on Sunday afternoon; though it was hard to take, he said it will help the family: "It gives us more peace," he said. "At least we know our daughter has been found and positively identified and we know where she was for the past five days she was missing." HPD refused to comment on whether the bodies were those of Aparece and Ngo, but the department did accuse Johnson of shooting her, so we assume they did identify her and determine the cause of death.

Police also said over the weekend that they've made "multiple" arrests in the investigation, though they didn't say how many or what charges were pending.