On Thursday, Fresno County Sheriff’s homicide detectives revealed that 88 year old Cynthia Houk and her daughter, 55 year old Jennifer DuPras, died as a result of gunshot wounds.
No arrests have been made for their murders and detectives continue to ask for the public to help them generate leads. They would like to speak with anyone who heard or saw something out of the ordinary in early December near the home where Houk and DuPras were found on December 11th. The house is located on the 6200 block of N. Colonial Ave. in Fresno.
Detectives are also expanding the area in which they would like residents and business owners to check video surveillance footage. Please contact the Sheriff’s Office if you have video saved on your electronic devices that was recorded between Friday, December 8th and Monday, December 11th. This includes video from traditional digital cameras and Ring doorbell cameras. Detectives are focused on streets surrounding the area in which the crime took place. This includes cameras facing streets in the following locations.
- Palm Avenue (between Bullard Avenue and Sierra Avenue)
- Sierra Avenue (between Palm Avenue and Maroa Avenue)
- Maroa Avenue (between Sierra Avenue and Bullard Avenue)
- Bullard Avenue (between Palm Avenue and Maroa Avenue)
- Intersections near Highway 41 and Bullard Ave.
- Intersections near Highway 41 and Herndon Ave.
Detectives are also asking for help from anyone living inside neighborhoods bordered by the streets listed above. There is nothing in particular that residents need to look for in the video, we just need to know who may possess video. If you do, contact sheriff’s dispatchers at (559) 600-3111 and they will send a member of our office to meet you so they can collect and review the footage.
It was around 3:30 pm on Monday, December 11th that Fresno County Sheriff’s dispatchers received a phone call requesting deputies check the welfare of a person living at a home on the 6200 block of N. Colonial Ave. in Fresno. The caller was concerned because the person had missed an appointment earlier in the day. Deputies responded and found the home to be secure, with no signs of trouble. Deputies spoke to a neighbor who told them they had a key to the house and would let them inside to check if everything was ok. The deputies entered the home and found two women deceased. Due to their visible injuries, deputies requested homicide detectives respond to the scene to begin an investigation into their deaths. The victims were later identified as a mother and daughter. They are 88 year old Cynthia Houk and 55 year old Jennifer DuPras. A motive has not been established and a suspect has not been identified, but detectives are following up on numerous leads.
This remains an ongoing investigation. Anyone with additional information on this case is asked to contact Sheriff’s dispatchers at (559) 600-3111, Detective Juan Galindo at (559) 600-8215 or Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867. You will remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
