Ariel Sellouk failed to open his father’s beauty salon on Wednesday morning, Aug. 6, and was nowhere to be found. By noon his father, Michel, had called all the hospitals, and even the jail, without a clue as to Ariel’s whereabouts. All he knew was that Ariel had not shown up at his girlfriend’s apartment, as planned.
Knowing that his son sometimes played darts and chess at a certain pub on Fountain View, the elder Sellouk went there to seek information. What he discovered was Ariel’s abandoned automobile. Through a series of telephone calls, he obtained the address of one Mohammed Ali Alayed, with whom the Jewish young man had been seen.
Finding a Channel 13 business card at Alayed’s 2520 Winrock St. apartment, Michel called the television station. Someone said there had been a fight and that police had been called.
The next stop was the Reisner St. police station, where Michel was told that Alayed had not been arrested, but that he had previous arrests. At another police station, it was said that Alayed had been arrested but Sellouk could not be told the charges. Then he was directed to file a missing person’s report. It was at that bureau that he saw his son’s name listed in the morgue.
According to Michel Sellouk, 25 hours had elapsed, but still no one had the courtesy or compassion to inform him of his son’s murder. Clearly, identification had been made. He found out that Ariel’s business card and his driver’s license (with his and his father’s address) were on his body. It was through sheer anxiety and persistence that the father even learned of his son’s death.
It wasn’t until 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9, that the Harris County Medical Examiner called to ask for the murdered young man’s next-of-kin. That was the only notification the bereaved father was given. To make matters worse, he was not permitted to see or identify his son because, he was told, Ariel had been identified in the morgue by his driver’s license.
Alayed’s roommate, who called 911, told authorities he had never seen Ariel Sellouk before. The roommate witnessed the slaying which, he said, happened without a fight, argument or warning. Ariel’s throat was slashed so violently that he was nearly decapitated. The roommate added that 23-year-old Alayed said he was going back to Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Ali Alayed had a record of selling drugs and failing to show up for his date in court. Since that time, he had become very religious.
Michel Sellouk learned that Alayed’s student visa had expired and that he worked for cash, sometimes as an automobile valet. He is described as 6’2” tall with a muscular build, weighing approximately 185-200 pounds. He has dark brown eyes and black hair. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is pursuring the case as a possible hate crime.
Anyone who has information on the suspect, Mohammed Ali Alayed, is asked to call the Houston Police Department Homicide Division at 713/308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713/222-TIPS. JFS
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