Deputies said the children, ages 1, 3 and 10, were safely recovered after a search that ended on the Eastex Freeway.
HOUSTON, TX — A 22-year-old man was arrested Monday after deputies said he drove away from a north Harris County gas station in an SUV with three young girls inside.
Xavion Starks was charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and two counts of aggravated kidnapping after the overnight incident near Aldine Mail Route Road. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the children, ages 1, 3 and 10, were left in the vehicle while their mother went inside a store. Deputies said all three girls were found safe after police tracked the vehicle and Humble officers made a traffic stop.
The incident began just after 1 a.m. Monday in the Aldine area, north of Houston. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said a woman parked in the 700 block of Aldine Mail Route and went into a store, leaving her three daughters in the vehicle. Deputies said a man then got into the SUV and drove away. The mother called 911, and investigators began working from early information that one of the children had a phone inside the vehicle. Gonzalez later said the response was fast and coordinated, adding, “Great, swift work by our deputies and our partners with Humble PD.”
Sgt. Jeff Thomas with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said deputies used the phone to help follow the SUV’s path. At some point, officials said, the suspect threw the phone out of the vehicle. Deputies said the 10-year-old girl was able to get out after the SUV was taken, but the man continued driving with the two younger children still inside. The older child was later found walking along Aldine Bender Road. Officials said she had minor injuries, was taken to a hospital and was expected to be OK. The two younger girls were found unharmed when officers stopped the SUV.
Humble police officers joined the search after Harris County deputies began tracking the vehicle. Authorities said officers found the SUV in the 23000 block of the Eastex Freeway and conducted a traffic stop. Starks was taken into custody at the scene and later booked into the Harris County Jail. Officials did not report any injuries to the 1-year-old or 3-year-old. Investigators also did not say whether Starks knew the family or whether the SUV was running when he got inside. The mother’s name and the children’s names were not released because the case involves minors.
The case moved quickly from a vehicle theft report to a child abduction investigation because the SUV had children inside when it left the gas station. Deputies said the two younger children remained in the vehicle after the oldest girl got out. That detail led prosecutors to pursue two aggravated kidnapping counts, one for each child who remained inside, along with the vehicle charge. The sheriff’s office said the case was referred to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Court records and charging documents were expected to provide more details about what investigators believe happened during the drive.
The gas station sits along Aldine Mail Route Road, a busy corridor in north Harris County near the Hardy Toll Road and several residential areas. The search stretched from that area toward Humble, where police found the vehicle along the Eastex Freeway. The route covers a mix of businesses, neighborhoods and highway access points that can make a stolen vehicle difficult to follow without quick information. In this case, deputies said the phone inside the SUV helped guide the early search before the device was thrown out.
Authorities described the rescue as a joint effort between sheriff’s deputies and Humble police. Gonzalez said the children were safely recovered after the traffic stop. Thomas said the oldest child’s ability to get away and call for help was part of the early response. Officials did not release body camera video, surveillance footage or a detailed timeline of each stop along the route. They also did not say whether more charges could follow after prosecutors review the case.
Starks remained accused, not convicted, as the case entered the court system. The next steps include an initial court appearance, a bond decision and a review of the evidence by prosecutors. As of Tuesday, July 7, authorities had reported that all three girls were safe and that Starks had been booked on the kidnapping and vehicle charges.
Author note: Last updated July 7, 2026.