Diner collapses at Houston steakhouse; staff allegedly left body outside and did not call 911, family says

An investigation is underway after Jessie Mobley Jr. collapsed while dining at KFFO Afro Steakhouse in Houston on Aug. 7, according to police records. Authorities say staff did not call 911 to report the collapse, and instead moved Mobley’s body outside. Mobley, who would have turned 35 soon, died after the incident.

Mobley’s body was discovered the next morning by Andrea Arbelaez Sarrazola, a student at a local beauty school who found him collapsed against a wall and later noticed ants on his ears and discoloration on one side of his body. She alerted emergency services. Mobley’s father, Jessie Mobley Sr., and his stepmother, Renee Mobley, were notified and later collected his ashes at their home in San Antonio. They described the scene as heartbreaking and said a 911 call could have saved his life.

Mobley’s death has prompted questions about how the incident was handled in the restaurant, and his family says time may have mattered. Medical examiner officials have not yet determined a cause of death, and the Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office cautioned that results could take time. A Houston Police Department spokesperson said the investigation would be closed if the cause is determined to be natural causes. Mobley’s family says a 911 call could have changed the outcome and plans to hire an attorney once the medical examiner’s ruling is issued.

A staff member at the restaurant told the outlet that the business often provides free meals to people in need. Mobley’s family described him as a fun-loving person who faced several personal challenges, including an HIV diagnosis that he had carried since birth; his mother also lived with HIV. They noted Mobley was on antiviral therapy that made the virus undetectable and untransmittable, but stigma around the condition remained. Renee Mobley said Mobley had bipolar disorder diagnosed in adulthood and had been doing well recently, hoping to find a partner and start a family.

Family members have launched a GoFundMe page to support memorial costs and legal expenses as they await the medical examiner’s findings. They have urged accountability, saying a proper emergency response could have altered the outcome. The restaurant declined to comment beyond noting its involvement with the community, and investigators are reviewing the timeline of events surrounding Mobley’s collapse.