HUFFMAN, Texas — A father has been charged with murder after his 10-year-old son was killed in a rollover crash Saturday night in Huffman, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
The crash happened on FM 2100 at FM 1960 just before 9 p.m.
Emanuel Camacho-Patino told deputies his vehicle flipped over and landed in a ditch after one of his tires blew out while driving on FM 2100. He suffered minor injuries, but his 10-year-old son Manuel Camacho Nolasco, who was riding in the passenger seat, died at the scene.
Investigators said Camacho-Patino appeared to be intoxicated and Manuel was not wearing a seat belt, which led to the boy being partially ejected from the truck.
“Granted he was 10 years old, so he didn’t need a child seat or a booster seat, but he did need to be restrained with a shoulder and a lap belt and right now from the evidence inside the vehicle it doesn’t appear he was wearing that,” HCSO Lt. Simon Cheng said.
Investigators later learned that it wasn't a blowout that caused the crash, but the tread cap separated from one of the truck's tires.
Camacho-Patino's bond was set at $1 million before his Tuesday court appearance.
A roadside memorial started to grow for Manuel and a GoFundMe account was set up to help the family with expenses.
