The Newport subdivision, a suburban housing development in the southeast of Texas, in the

southern United States, first took root in the late 1970s.

Extending outwards from the town of Crosby and tucked in behind dense forest on the edge

of Lake Houston by 1980, its concrete tendrils twisting and curling ever deeper into the

surrounding wilds had grown steadily to comprise 1,000 homes.

For many, the green and leafy neighbourhood, with its private security guards and manicured

lawns hidden under the canopy of 100-year-old trees, provided the perfect mix of suburban

decorum and rugged country.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a subdivision in this sense is a housing development that

begins as little more than individual plots of land, serviced by a system of roads that

have been provided with plumbing and electricity.

Having purchased one of the plots, it would then be down to the buyer to decide what house

they would like to have shipped in and assembled onto it.

For Jean and Ben Williams, it was a subtle, tan brick, Mediterranean style home that had

taken their fancy.

Having been encouraged to move to the new development by their eldest daughter, Marcia Ann, who

also lived in the neighbourhood, the couple finally took the plunge and relocated in the

fall of 1980, picking a plot at the far end of the brand new section 8 on Poppits Way.

The couple who were both in their 50s, elected to have their home built back to front,

a special request of Jean's, so that their living room would look out over the spacious

garden toward the small patch of woodland that stretched out behind it.

But there was one tree in particular that Jean had fallen for, a sturdy oak by then

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