Mother of four found dead in staged hanging in dock: police

The death of a woman found hanged in a Texas marina is being investigated as a possible homicide after authorities became suspicious about the location of the body, police said Tuesday.

The woman seen hanging from a rope on a dock in League City on May 31 is 30-year-old Giselle Salazar, a mother of four, according to local news station KPRC.

League City police told HuffPost that when Salazar’s body was discovered, it was “in an upright position with nothing supporting it.” Investigators believe she died at another location and that her arm became stiff due to rigor mortis before she was placed in the dock.

Investigators are awaiting coroner results to determine the cause of death. Authorities have identified two people of interest in the investigation, but no arrests have been made.

Salazar’s sister, Esperanza Alegria, told ABC station KTRK that her family is demanding justice.

“I just want everyone to know that my sister did not do this to herself. She did not commit suicide,” Alegria told the outlet. “We want the person responsible for doing this to my sister to be charged for what he did to her.”

According to KTRK, Salazar lived with her boyfriend on his boat, which had been docked at the Wharf Marina since March. He told the newspaper that he was repeatedly questioned by police after Salazar’s death, but denied killing her.

“I would never hurt Giselle,” he told KTRK.

The friend said he last saw Salazar when she left the boat to go to the bathroom, in the hours before she was found dead. He said when he couldn’t find her in the bathroom, “he assumed she had been gone for a few days.”

He said he only learned of Salazar’s death when police found her body. He added that his security cameras had failed before Salazar was discovered – one camera had disappeared and the other had been turned away by hand.

But police said that as part of their investigation, investigators “reviewed nearly 2,000 surveillance camera video clips ranging in length from a few seconds to several minutes.”

Nathan Paz, Salazar’s brother, told KPRC that she was “the most charismatic person you will ever meet.”

“This is a heartbreaking time for my mother. She is trying to keep everything under control,” he said.

Paz said Salazar previously lived in Colorado but left the state because of an abusive relationship.

“She tried to change her life,” Paz said.

The family is now raising money for her funeral and to support her children.

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