Man wanted for groping 7-year-old girl walking home from school identified, has history of similar attacks

Officers with the Houston Police Department are looking for the man they believe assaulted a 7-year-old girl while she was walking home from school in the Woodland Heights neighborhood two weeks ago.

OUR FIRST REPORT: Houston police looking for man who groped 7-year-old girl while she walked home from school in Woodland Heights

Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, 43, is now wanted on a felony charge of attempted indecency with a child.

The assault occurred just after 3 p.m. on Jan. 27. HPD said Ayala “inappropriately grabbed and touched” the girl while she was walking in the 800 block of Omar Street.

Ayala’s background

Further investigation into Ayala’s past revealed a long history of crimes, which includes numerous assaults similar to this recent attack.

Born in Honduras, Ayala has resided in both Dallas and Houston.

According to court documents, Ayala’s criminal history extends as far back as 1999, when he was charged with burglary in Dallas. In 2017, he was arrested in Houston after HPD found evidence linking him to at least 10 sexual assaults between 2014 and 2017.

Ayala had a pattern of behavior in his assaults of young girls. The victims in the previous cases were girls between the ages of seven and 15 years old who were typically attacked as they walked home from school. Ayala would come up behind his victims and touch them through their clothing.

After being connected to the crimes in 2017, Ayala refused to stop after his vehicle was flagged down by authorities. He led officers on a short pursuit and was taken into custody shortly thereafter.

He was charged with four counts of indecency with a child and one count of felony evading after his arrest. Court records indicated that he was sentenced to seven years in prison for the charges and was released in February of 2024.

HPD officials told KPRC 2 that there is an active investigation into the case, and there would be more information provided on this matter.

The January assault

In the January assault, security and doorbell cameras at nearby homes in the area captured clear footage of Ayala in the area.

After the assault, Ayala was seen walking and jogging on Reagan Street and Watson Street nearby.

Crime Stoppers of Houston offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the identity and arrest of the suspect in this investigation. Since Ayala remains on the run at this time, it’s unclear if anyone will claim the reward money.

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Anyone with information on Ayala’s whereabouts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477), submit a tip online at crime-stoppers.org, or use the Crime Stoppers mobile app. Tips can remain anonymous.