A 12-year-old girl woke up and found her mother dead. Then she went to another room and found her stepfather dead too. She was alone. She called 911.

It happened around 11 p.m. Thursday at a home on the 12500 block of Baldwin Springs in northwest Harris County. Deputies with the Harris County Sheriff's Office arrived and found the girl safe outside the home. Inside, they found her mother dead. Her stepfather was dead in a separate room.

Investigators now believe this was a murder-suicide. They think the man killed the woman and then killed himself.

HCSO Homicide Sergeant Michael Ritchie held a briefing Friday morning. "This is looking more like it is a murder-suicide," he said.

Neither victim has been named. Causes of death have not been released. Deputies have not said what kind of weapon was used. One weapon was found at the scene.

There were no signs of forced entry. There were no signs that anyone else was involved.

Investigators are reviewing security camera video from around the area. They are talking to neighbors. They are building a timeline of Thursday night. Deputies are also checking whether anyone had ever called for help at that address before.

Neighbors spoke to local reporters. They did not want to be named on camera. They said they had seen the woman hurt outside the home on a previous occasion. It appeared to be a domestic fight. Deputies responded at the time. The woman did not press charges. HCSO has not confirmed whether any prior calls for service were made to that address.

A family friend also spoke off camera. She said the girl has an older sister who lives in Venezuela. The sister heard what happened and reached out to friends and family here in the United States. The friend said the 12-year-old had been asleep when the night turned dark. She found her mother first. Then she walked to another room and found her stepfather. She was the one who made the call that brought deputies to the door.

All three had lived together in that home for some time.

The girl was not hurt. She was outside when deputies got there. She was with law enforcement as they worked the scene.

No one else is being sought in connection with what happened. Investigators do not believe anyone else was in the home.

The Harris County Medical Examiner will determine the official causes of death. That process can take days or weeks. The investigation remains open.

This is not a news story that moves fast. It is about a child who lost both parents in one night. She is 12. What she saw is something no child should ever see.

Domestic violence does not always look like a crisis from the outside. It can look like a quiet street and a house with the lights off. Neighbors sometimes hear or see things they do not report. Victims sometimes do not press charges because they are afraid, or because they hope things will get better.

When someone is hurt and does not ask for help, the danger does not go away. It often grows.

If you know something about what happened on Baldwin Springs Thursday night, HCSO investigators want to hear from you.

Cases like this one do not happen without warning signs. Neighbors said they had seen the woman hurt before. They said they saw deputies come out. They said she did not press charges that time. The Harris County Sheriff's Office said it has not confirmed any prior calls at that address.

That is a common pattern. Domestic violence often goes unreported. Victims sometimes choose not to press charges. They may fear what comes next. They may hope things get better. Sometimes they do not get the chance to change their mind.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.