UVALDE, Texas – A congressional staffer for U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales was alone in her backyard when she caught on fire, Uvalde police confirmed to KSAT Investigates on Tuesday. The agency does not believe anyone else was involved.
Uvalde Regional District Director Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, died early Sept. 14 after an incident the night before at her home on Geraldine Avenue in Uvalde, a police report obtained by KSAT Investigates shows.
Uvalde police officials said they are waiting for final reports from the Texas DPS Crime Laboratory and the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office, which could take weeks.
UPD said it would not provide any more details about the investigation until those reports are finalized.
As of Tuesday afternoon, an employee with the medical examiner’s office said Santos-Aviles’ cause and manner of death are still pending.
“This tragic event has deeply affected our community,” UPD Chief Homer Delgado said via email on Tuesday. “On a personal note, I had the privilege of working with Regina for several years on various projects and came to consider her a friend.”
UPD has turned home surveillance video over to the Texas DPS crime lab.
Background
Paramedics, firefighters and police responded to Santos-Aviles’ Uvalde home around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 13 for a disturbance, according to a UPD call sheet.
A close family member said Santos-Aviles was airlifted to San Antonio to be treated for extensive burns after being found on fire in front of her porch.
A Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office employee confirmed Santos-Aviles was pronounced dead just after 6:30 a.m. Sept. 14.
In a phone interview with KSAT, family members were adamant that Santos-Aviles’ death was an accident, adding that there was a water hose outside of the home.
“Her last words were, ‘I don’t want to die,’” a family member told KSAT last week.
Family members also told KSAT she was a great wife and mother to her young son.
“We are all heart-stricken by the recent news,” Gonzales previously said in a statement to KSAT Investigates. “Regina devoted her profession toward making a difference in her community. She will always be remembered for her passion towards Uvalde and helping the community become a better place.”
Sgt. Rene Cordova with the Texas Rangers told KSAT last week they are assisting UPD with the investigation, adding that it’s a “procedure thing.”
Cordova denied that the Rangers were called in because Santos-Aviles was a staffer for the congressman.
KSAT also contacted the Uvalde Volunteer Fire Department for comment and will update this story when we hear back.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.