CONROE, Texas – A Texas man is in custody after a beloved pediatrician was fatally stabbed to death by the assailant who “came out of nowhere” as the woman was sitting at a picnic table outside an apartment.
The murder victim was identified as 52-year old Dr. Talat Jehan Khan. She is also the mother of two children. She was casually sitting with her dog in the city of Conroe on Saturday when the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Miles Joseph Fridrich, stabbed her multiple times, police said, according to reports.
Fridrich allegedly attacked Khan around 12:30 p.m. at the Alys Apartments in the 15000 block of Mansions View Dr. before fleeing on foot. Responding officers found the woman with multiple stab wounds at a picnic table in the common area of the complex, Conroe police said. The pediatrician was pronounced dead at the scene, KTRK reported.
Dr. Talat Jehan Khan was sitting with her dog on Saturday when she was stabbed to death. (Handout)
Witnesses to the crime provided police with a suspect description. Officers found Fridrich nearby on Johnson-Martin Road. He was taken into custody and subsequently booked at the Montgomery County Jail on charges of first-degree murder.
Miles Fridrich fatally stabbed Dr. Talat Khan, police said, according to reports. (Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office)
As the homicide investigation remains ongoing, it’s unclear if Khan and Fridrich knew each other or if either of them lived at the complex. A motive was not immediately disclosed by authorities.
“This is an immeasurable loss for our family, completely unexpected,” Khan’s niece Mahnoor Mangrio told KHOU.
“She’s a Muslim, strong in her faith, those are identifiable traits about her. She’s extremely loving, kind. She was my aunt … the best aunt.”
A witness told the news outlet the suspect “came out of nowhere” in the horrific attack.
“I was outside and I heard a woman out there, and I heard that she was screaming,” the witness said. “She was sitting at the picnic table.”
A witness said that the suspect “came out of nowhere” before attacking Dr. Talat Khan. (Click2Houston)
Wajahat Nyaz said the slain doctor was his sister. She moved to the area from Seattle in July to enjoy the warm climate, KPRC reported.
“She liked to see the sun and warm weather, so that was one of the main reasons why she moved here,” he said.
The victim leaves behind a 14-year-old daughter and 23-year-old son.
“Her kids and her kids she looked after as a pediatrician were her entire life,” Nyaz also said. “Everything in her life revolved around those two things.”
Family members told the station they don’t believe Khan and Fridrich knew each other leading up to the brutal homicide.
Fridrich has previous drug and weapon charges in Conroe, but they were later dismissed, KPRC reported.
Khan attended the Al-Ansaar Islamic Center. The mosque expressed its condolences to the family while encouraging members to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Houston said in a statement it is “paying very close attention” to the investigation, the New York Post reported.
“We are unsure at this moment if this was a hate crime, however given the tragic circumstances, we are paying very close attention to the investigation,” the organization said in a statement. “We will continue to monitor the situation while we launch our own investigation and continue established dialogue with law enforcement.”
