Rio Grande Valley Friends and Families of Murdered Children

Rio Grande Valley Friends and Families of Murdered Children

Proudly Introduces the RIO PROJECT COLD CASE HOMICIDE DATABASE: A Regional Initiative to Spotlight Unsolved Murders and Amplify the Voices of Victims and Their Families

The Rio Grande Valley Families and Friends of Murdered Children (RGV-FFOMC) is honored to announce the launch of the Rio Project Cold Case Homicide Database—a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to centralize and bring public attention to unsolved homicide cases throughout the Rio Grande Valley. This comprehensive and publicly accessible database will be a powerful tool for elevating awareness, supporting grieving families, and encouraging renewed investigative efforts.

Phase I – County Coverage:
The initial rollout will include unsolved homicide cases submitted from the following four counties:
  • Hidalgo County
  • Cameron County
  • Starr County
  • Willacy County

Each entry will be verified and submitted by either:
  • Local law enforcement agencies, or
  • Surviving family members seeking to keep their loved one’s memory alive and case visible.
RGV-FFOMC plans to expand the database to include additional counties across the region as resources allow.

Why This Matters:
Keeping a homicide victim’s case in the public eye not only honors their memory but also increases the likelihood of generating new leads, witnesses, or information that may help bring justice—visibility matters. Awareness saves cases.

How to Submit a Case:
Families or law enforcement agencies wishing to submit an unsolved homicide case for inclusion may do so by completing the official Case Summary -
Cold Case Submission - Google Forms

Submission Form. Submission does not guarantee immediate inclusion; all entries are subject to verification and review.

⚠️ Please Note:

Rio Project Cold Case is not a private investigative service. This initiative is strictly for public awareness and advocacy purposes. All investigative matters remain under the jurisdiction of the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

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167 cases found.
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: June 16, 2011
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Roman Ramirez Jr.
Age 22
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location Starr County
L.E.A Starr County Sheriff's Office

Cold Case Spotlight

Investigators with the Starr County Special Crimes unit worked lead after lead trying to figure out who murdered Roman Ramirez, Jr. But starting with the New Year, those leads have gone cold. Investigators told Action 4 News that its TMs been a seven long months of chasing leads that went nowhere. Months of unanswered questions have also taken their toll on the family. Ramirez was shot and left for dead on the side of La Blanca Road in the Guerra Garza Subdivision on a sunny June 2011 afternoon. Investigators said it was an area that Ramirez would frequently travel walking up and down La Blanca Road. They said with no witnesses coming forward, their investigation has come to a standstill. Authorities are hoping a cash reward will bring someone forward someone who can help bring closure to a grieving family. Starr County Sheriff TMs Office Investigator David Ibarra spoke to Action 4 News about the case. His family reaches out to us on a regular basis, Ibarra said. We’d really like to help them out by putting the person or persons responsible behind bars.”
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: 93-31132
Date Reported: December 27, 1993
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Unknown
Gender Unknown
Race Unknown
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Unknown
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location south of Bus.83 on FM 1015
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office
CCR: 17-47711
Date Reported: December 8, 2017
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Heather N. Indoe
Gender Female
Race Caucasian/White
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Hit and Run
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unkown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 5218 Wassell
Edinburg Texas, 78539
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sherriff's Office
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: October 26, 1992
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Marcelino Velazco
Age 17
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
L.E.A Cameron County Sheriff's Office

Cold Case Spotlight

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — In 1992, officers received a call about a body found along the banks of the Rio Grande. Nearly 30 years later, the case remains unsolved. On Oct. 26, 1992, the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office received information that there was a body buried along the banks of the Rio Grande in the area of FM 1419. The next day, investigators found a shallow grave with the body of a man wrapped in a blue tarp. After forensic testing, the body was identified as 17-year-old Marcelino Velazco. Velazco had previously been reported missing. He was last seen on Aug. 22, 1992, getting inside of a small, red two-door T-top vehicle at the 6000 block of Camelia Street in Brownsville. The Sheriff’s Office said that there were two “unknown” men in the vehicle. An autopsy revealed that Velazco was struck by a bullet in the upper spinal cord. In a 1992 report by the Valley Morning Star, Cameron County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Ernesto Flores said the murder was “drug-related”, stating Velazco had been involved in trafficking. Authorities said that the murder could have been connected to the slaying of three other men who were found on a Mexican ranch. Previous reports revealed that the suspects tied Velazco with a heavy rope and that his remains had been clawed by animals roaming the area. According to the Valley Morning Star’s report, Velazco’s mother told deputies that two men in Matamoros had confessed to the murder. The two men, Victor Rivera, 19, and Heriberto Ortego Ruiz, were incarcerated for confessing to the murder of three Matamoros residents. “I talked to Mexican authorities, and they said the men arrested never confessed to killing Velazco,” Flores said in the Valley Morning Star’s report. Those with information are asked to contact the Cameron County Crime Stoppers at (956) 350-5551.
CCR: 12-24556
Date Reported: June 20, 2012
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Rodolfo Garza Perez
Age 47
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 21402 N. Skinner Rd
Edinburg Texas, 78539
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sherriff's Office

Cold Case Spotlight

CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: January 22, 1993
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Yolanda Moya
Age 33
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 824 Louisiana Ave.
Weslaco Texas, 78596
Hidalgo County
L.E.A Weslaco Police Department
Yolanda Moya was just 33 years-old who failed to report to work at Neunanas & Company local farm company in the early morning of January 22, 1993. A family member went to her new house located at 824 S. Louisiana Avenue looking for her. She was inside the home with a gunshot wound to her chin/neck area, and her body was half burned. She was doused in gasoline and set afire. No Justice. No Peace.
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: July 14, 2001
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Denise Villarreal
Age 16
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Offense Murder
Cause Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Arrest Made
L.E.A Cameron County Sheriff's Office

Cold Case Spotlight

On 07-14-2001, at approximately 2:45 PM, the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding a deceased body found one-half mile east of the Shrimp Basin off of State Highway 48 in Cameron County, Texas. The victim was later identified as Denise Villarreal. At the time of her death, Villarreal was 16 years old and listed as a runaway.
CCR: 02-12257
Date Reported: May 21, 2002
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Servando Garcia
Age 49
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Beaten/Battered
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location S. Minnesota Rd on Cesar Chavez Rd
San Juan Texas, 78589
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: August 21, 2011
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Antonio Villegas, Jr
Age 20
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Missing Person (Presumed Murdered)
Cause Undisclosed
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location Unknown
Mission Texas, 78572
Hidalgo County
L.E.A Mission Police Department

Cold Case Spotlight

Antonio "Tony" Villegas Jr. Age: 20 Years Old Height: 5'6" Weight: 175 lbs. Last seen: Went Missing on Sunday, August 21, 2011, in South Mission. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, khaki shorts, and White Nike Sneakers. He has tattoos, including one that says "Death Before Honor" on his calf. Villegas, 20, disappeared on Aug. 21, 2011, left his home around 4 a.m. and wasn’t seen or heard from again until 9 a.m. Investigators found the clothes of a man who may have been kidnapped by illegal immigrants in Mission. The search for 20-year-old Antonio Villegas, Jr. continues after he did not return to his home in Alton early this week. Mission police are investigating the case while authorities, family members and volunteers search an area of brush in a southern part of the city. Authorities found Villegas' clothes on Tuesday morning. They are still treating the search as a rescue mission. Tong dial 911 at least 15 times on Sunday. The Alton man claimed to have been forced or abducted by a group of illegal immigrants. Anyone with information about Villegas' whereabouts is asked to call Mission Crime Stoppers at (956) 581-8477.