Wrong-Way Pickup at About 100 mph Killed Woman, 59, in Head-On I-45 Crash in Conroe, Police Say

A wrong-way pickup truck travelling at about 100 miles per hour hit an SUV head-on on Interstate 45 in Conroe early on Sunday, October 25, killing the SUV's driver, 59-year-old Emelia Muniz, the Conroe Police Department said in a statement reported by Woodlands Online. The 20-year-old pickup driver was taken to hospital in stable condition, and investigators are examining whether intoxication was a factor. KHOU and ABC13 Houston also reported the woman's death in the head-on crash on the North Freeway.

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Police release full account of Sunday's fatal I-45 crash

Conroe police have now identified the wrong-way driver, the woman killed and the speed involved in the early-Sunday crash that closed all northbound I-45 lanes at Gladstell Street. The earlier Awaaz Punjab report covered the closure while the cause was still unknown. Read the earlier closure report

CONROE, Texas — A wrong-way driver going southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 45 hit an SUV head-on near the Highway 105 exit early on Sunday, October 25, killing the SUV's driver, the Conroe Police Department said in a statement published by Woodlands Online. KHOU reported that a wrong-way driver crashed head-on into an SUV on I-45 in Conroe, killing a woman, and ABC13 Houston reported a woman dead after a head-on crash with a speeding truck on the North Freeway, according to Conroe police.

Source: Woodlands Online (Conroe Police Department statement), Oct. 25, 2026

Police communications received a call about a wrong-way driver at about 4:40 a.m., the department said. A second caller a minute later placed the dark-coloured pickup truck at Gladstell, and officers upgraded their response after a caller reported the truck travelling at approximately 100 miles per hour. Two minutes later, dispatchers began receiving multiple calls about a major crash involving a pickup truck and a white SUV.

Source: Woodlands Online (Conroe Police Department statement), Oct. 25, 2026

Officers, the Conroe Fire Department and EMS crews treated both drivers at the scene near the Highway 105 exit, police said. The SUV driver, 59-year-old Emelia Muniz, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The 20-year-old driver of the pickup was injured and was transported by EMS to a local hospital, where he was in stable condition. Police have not named him.

Source: Woodlands Online (Conroe Police Department statement), Oct. 25, 2026

Preliminary findings indicate a dark blue Nissan Titan was travelling southbound in the northbound main lanes of the 1000 block of South IH-45 North and collided head-on with a northbound Honda CR-V, police said. Both vehicles suffered extensive front-end damage. The Conroe Police Traffic Reconstruction Unit is investigating the crash.

Source: Woodlands Online (Conroe Police Department statement), Oct. 25, 2026

An investigation is being conducted to see if intoxication is a factor in this crash, and the District Attorney's Vehicular Crimes Unit responded to assist, police said. The investigation is still ongoing and no further details can be released at this time, the department said. Police Chief Jon Buckholtz extended condolences to all those affected. Northbound I-45, one of Texas's busiest freight corridors between Houston and Dallas, later reopened after the deadly crash, KHOU reported.

Source: Woodlands Online (Conroe Police Department statement), Oct. 25, 2026

Sources

Conroe Police Department statement via Woodlands Online — Conroe Wrong-Way Crash on IH-45 Kills 59-Year-Old Woman, Driver Injured, Oct. 25, 2026 — https://www.woodlandsonline.com/npps/story.cfm?nppage=85073

KHOU — Wrong-way driver crashes head-on into SUV on I-45 in Conroe, killing woman; I-45 northbound reopens in Montgomery County after deadly crash (headlines listed in Roadnow I-45 news index, Oct. 25-26, 2026)

ABC13 Houston — Woman dead after head-on crash with speeding truck on North Freeway, Conroe PD says (headline listed in Roadnow I-45 news index, Oct. 25, 2026)