Rio Grande Valley Friends and Families of Murdered Children

Rio Grande Valley Friends and Families of Murdered Children

FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND RIO PROJECT COLD CASE (HOMICIDE) DATABASE

This database will consist of unsolved homicides.  The Rio Grande Valley database will be composed of the four-county area: 1) Hidalgo, 2) Cameron, 3) Starr and 4) Willacy counties. All victims are submitted by law enforcement or the victims' families. Additional counties will be added to this database as time and funding permit. Keeping your loved one's case in the PUBLIC EYE is a good thing.

To submit your loved one for consideration please Fill out form Case Summary Form. Rio Project Cold Case is not a private investigative firm.

Search

Show More Options

167 cases found.
CCR: 90-10085
Date Reported: July 12, 1990
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Unknown
Gender Unknown
Race Unknown
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Unknown
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 1 3/10 south of mile 5
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: April 29, 1991
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Guadalupe Lozano III
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 1 mile East of the Village Hut Store on Highway 4
Brownsville Texas, 78520
Cameron
L.E.A Cameron County Sheriff's Office

Cold Case Spotlight

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A young man’s Saturday night out took a turn for the worst as his body was discovered a few hours later “bullet-riddled” and left for passerby’s to find. 30 years later, Guadalupe Lozano III’s murder remains unsolved with no arrests. Like many in their youth, Lozano hit the town for a night out on April 27, 1991. Lozano was last seen Sunday early morning around 2 a.m. getting into a Mercury Cougar with Mexican licenses plates along with 3 other men. Leaving a popular location at the time, the Casa Blanca Night Club in Brownsville, Lozano was never seen by the public after calling his evening a night with the other men. Cameron County Sheriff Deputies reported the body was found along Highway 4 at around 7:30 a.m. April 29, according to a report from the Valley Morning Star. Lozano’s body was discovered approximately a mile east of the Village Hut Store on Highway 4, according to a release from Cameron County Sheriff Eric Garza. Cameron County Sheriffs Office spokesperson told the Valley Morning Star that Lozano’s body was discovered with 13 bullet wounds to his head. Lozano’s body was identified through his numerous tattoos, one including his last name. Investigators later identified one of the three men as Bernabe Sosa, but have not made any arrests in the case. This case remains an open investigation. If you have any information on this case, please call the Cameron County Crime Stoppers at their hotline: (866)-350-5551 or (956)-350-5551.
CCR: 11-39412
Date Reported: September 18, 2011
VICTIM DETAILS
Name John Doe 7 AKA: Niero
Gender Unknown
Race Unknown
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location San Bernardino Dr.
Alamo Texas, 78516
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: December 21, 1989
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Efrain Garcia Villarreal
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
L.E.A Cameron County Sheriff's Dept

Cold Case Spotlight

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A night out takes a turn for the worse after a man’s body was discovered beaten the morning after. 32 years later, Efrain Garcia Villarreal’s murder remains unsolved with no arrests. Villarreal was last seen on December 21, 1989, around 2 a.m. at the Taconazo Bar located in Cameron Park. According to the Cameron County Sheriffs Office, Villarreal was reported to have last been seen with a man known as “El Shorre” or the “Short One.” As the night came to an end and a new day began, Villareal’s body was found on Salida Del Sol Road. The investigation revealed that Villareal had been beaten to death with a heavy type of object that was used to strike him several times. Reporters at the time attempted to contact the Cameron County Sheriffs Office for more information but were not successful. This investigation remains active. If you have any information on this case, please call the Cameron County Crime Stoppers at their hotline: (866)-350-5551 or (956)-350-5551.
CCR: 11-39412
Date Reported: September 18, 2011
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Elias Alvarado
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location San Bernardino Dr.
Alamo Texas, 78516
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office
CCR: 14-38057
Date Reported: September 15, 2014
VICTIM DETAILS
Name John Doe 1
Gender Unknown
Race Unknown
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 8800 Tex-Mex
Edinburg Texas, 78539
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sherriff's Office
CCR: 03-19852
Date Reported: August 17, 2003
VICTIM DETAILS
Name John Doe 10
Gender Unknown
Race Unknown
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unkown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location N. of 4 Mile Line on Inspiration Rd.
Mission Texas, 78503
Hidalgo
L.E.A HCSO
CCR: 89-02770
Date Reported: February 18, 1989
VICTIM DETAILS
Name David Sanchez Guerra
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 10 1/2 North & 4 1/2 West
Weslaco Texas, 78596
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office
CCR: 97-04678
Date Reported: March 31, 1997
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Unknown
Gender Male
Race Caucasian/White
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Unknown
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 4/10 mile South of Rancho Blanco on FM 907 west side
Alamo Tx, 78516
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: March 18, 1990
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Paulo Benavidez
Age 30
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
L.E.A Cameron County Sheriff's Dept

Cold Case Spotlight

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Bystanders called authorities when they found a vehicle on the side of the road; headlights still on and motor still running. Inside the vehicle, deputies found a man with a gunshot wound to his head. Over 30 years later, the case remains unsolved. On Thursday, March 18, 1990, authorities received a call about a suspicious vehicle on Charmaine Lane in Brownsville. The car was a brown Thunderbird with Florida license plates. The vehicle’s motor was still running with its headlights on when authorities arrived. Deputies approached the vehicle and found 30-year-old Paulo Benavidez slumped over the steering wheel, lifeless. He had a gunshot wound to his head from what former Sheriff Alex Perez called “a large caliber gun.” Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Cameron County Crime Stoppers at (956) 350-5551.