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: 95-10363
Date Reported: April 18, 1995
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Serge Luis Trevino
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Knife/Stabbing
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 6 3/4 N. Shary Rd.
Mission Texas, 78574
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office
CCR: 98-00711
Date Reported: January 12, 1998
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Josefat Rodriguez
Gender Female
Race African American/Black
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location between 5 1/2 and 6 west of 12 north
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriffs Office
CCR: 05-33920
Date Reported: October 22, 2005
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Alberto Banda Jr.
Age 24
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unkown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 0.3 miles W of McColl rd. on Whalen Rd
McAllen Texas, 78501
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sherriff's Office

Cold Case Spotlight

On Oct. 22, 2005, at 2:45 p.m., a runner encountered a naked body West of McColl on Whalen road...After the media reported the story, family members came forward and identified the man as Alberto Rodriguez Banda, Jr. Chavez said Banda was very well-liked. Witnesses told law enforcement they did not understand why he was left dead and naked... Banda had visited one of his brothers on Oct. 19, and that was the last time he was seen alive.
CCR: 02-10891
Date Reported: May 6, 2002
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Rebecca Escobar
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location SE corner if Alberta & Valverde Rd.
Donna Texas, 78537
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office
CCR: 12-13023
Date Reported: April 3, 2012
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Yasmin Jove
Age 18
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 10680 N. La Homa
Mission TX, 78572
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office
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: 02-15529
Date Reported: June 27, 2002
VICTIM DETAILS
Name John Doe 13
Gender Unknown
Race Unknown
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location w. Iowa Rd on 5 mile line
Mission Texas, 78503
Hidalgo
L.E.A HCSO
CCR: 01-25146
Date Reported: November 18, 2001
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Maria Oralia Castro
Age 60
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 1/2 Mile East of Filegoria West on Monte Alto
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: January 8, 1973
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Candy Mora-Fletcher
Age 23
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Lewis Brewster
Offense Murder
Cause Knife/Stabbing
Location California
CASE DETAILS
Status Solved
Incident location 411 Lozano St
Harlingen Texas, 78550
Cameron
L.E.A Harlingen Police Dept.

Cold Case Spotlight

It’s one of the more infamous ‘whodunit’s’ in all South Texas. A young, Harlingen mother found with 25 stab wounds, a cut throat, and a broken neck. No arrests were ever made in the killing of 23-year-old Candy Mora-Fletcher. For 45 years, the case file remained quiet, until a new lead on the decades-old crime presented itself. “Once the investigator was able to put the entire case together where it made sense to him, it didn’t take long to realize there was one prime suspect that was left out there and everything seemed to point to him, and that was a man by the name of Lewis Brewster,” says Commander Osborne of the Harlingen Police Department. “He did allude to the fact that he knew we were looking for him and we’d arrest him if we came back and there seemed to be some sort of solace with that,” says Osborne. Last November, the case took its final blow. Brewster passed away due to complications from diabetes. Mora now rests at the Monta Meta Memorial Park in San Benito. Thursday marked the 47th anniversary of the crime. Before the suspect died, D.A. Saenz says the prosecution was on the verge of presenting the case to the grand jury. That move was only two weeks away.
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: October 17, 2017
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Mario Alberto Garza
Age 17
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Missing Person (Presumed Murdered)
Cause Unknown
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location La Sagunada Road, about four miles west of Farm-to-Market-Road 755.
Rio Grande City Texas, 78582
Starr County
L.E.A Starr County Sheriff’s Office

Cold Case Spotlight

The Starr County Sheriff’s Office along with Texas Rangers are asking for the public’s help in locating two missing brothers. On, Mario Alberto Garza, 17, and Rosvel Garza, 19 were reported missing by their family. The two brothers were last seen by friends on October 18, 2017, in a gray Dodge Dakota extended cab pickup. Through the investigation, it was discovered that the vehicle, 2005 Dodge Dakota, was found abandoned and burnt in the woods near La Sagunada Road near Farm-to-Market Road 755. Anyone with information or knows the whereabouts of Mario Alberto Garza and Rosbel Garza are encouraged to contact the Starr County Sheriff’s Office at (956) 487-5571.