A family is looking for answers after a 69-year-old woman, Josefina Montesdeoca, was found dead in a manhole behind their home in Harris County, Texas.
Josefina was reported missing on September 13. Her daughter, Stephanie Lopez, said they searched for her around FM-1960 and Kuykendahl but couldn’t find her. Stephanie shared her mother’s phone location, but it seemed to be off, so they contacted the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to report her missing.
A deputy asked a few questions, gave them a case number, and left. When the family didn’t hear back the next day, they called the missing persons unit, only to find out it was closed on weekends. A search and rescue group wouldn’t help because they needed the sheriff’s approval.
Luckily, friends from church helped search on Sunday and quickly found Josefina. Stephanie recalled the moment, saying, “They found her! I thought she was sitting up, not in that hole.” She believes her mother was praying at the bottom of the manhole, hoping to be found.
The uncovered manhole was on the property of an apartment complex behind their home. There is a lot of overgrown land between the complex and their home. Stephanie’s husband said the man who found her had to move grass to see her body.
They are still unsure why Josefina was in that area, as she usually didn’t go there. Since her death, “do not enter” and “private property” signs have been put up, and the manhole has been covered.
During their search, the family also found an unfinished pool and rescued a stranded dog, naming it Joseph after Josefina, who loved dogs.
ABC13 is trying to find out who is responsible for the manhole’s maintenance. The medical examiner has not yet determined the cause of Josefina’s death, and the family has been told it could take months for answers.
Here’s What You Need To Know If You See Someone Wearing Shoes
Computer scientists from Austria have introduced a groundbreaking shoe, called InnoMake, designed to help blind individuals navigate obstacles while walking,
Developed by Tec-Innovation and Graz University of Technology, this innovative shoe, priced at over $3,000, boasts waterproof ultrasonic sensors on each toe, capable of detecting obstacles up to 13 feet away.
As wearers approach objects, vibrations and sounds alert them, akin to parking sensors in vehicles. Markus Raffer, a visually impaired co-founder of Tec-Innovation, has lauded its effectiveness, noting personal benefits.
Each foot features a dedicated sensor, available as a complete shoe or retrofit option, capable of identifying an object’s nature, be it a wall, car, or stairs, and providing tailored alerts.
Future plans include incorporating camera-based recognition and machine learning for improved navigation assistance, potentially offering a “street view navigation map” for users.
Friedrich Fraundorfer at TU Graz emphasized the shoe’s potential to revolutionize the lives of visually impaired individuals, granting them greater independence and safety in navigating their surroundings.
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