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: August 25, 2002
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Enedelia Benavides
Age 26
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 6315 N. Gold Avenue
Trailer House located in the 6300 block of Gold Avenue
Edinburg Texas, 78539
Hidalgo County
L.E.A Edinburg Police Department
On August 25, 2002, at approximately 2:00 am the suspect(s) enter the residence and fatally shot Michael and Enedelia. The killings mystified Edinburg Police Department investigators and who have no clues who committed the murders of Jason Buckelew and his common-law wife, Enedelia Benavidez, 26, who were from Houston, Texas. They both were shot in the head located at 6315 Gold Avenue in Edinburg, Texas. Jason died shortly after at the Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, Texas and she died in San Antonio Texas Hospital. There was a third victim, Esmeralda Reyes, 26, who survived and remained in critical condition at the San Antonio hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. BENAVIDES and BUCKELEW were deaf and mute.This case remains unsolved. No Justice. No Peace.
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: October 11, 1992
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Victor "Hugo" Reyes
Age 19
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Undisclosed
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location Unknown
Donna Lake Texas, 78537
Hidalgo County
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office
In 1992, was picked up by friends, then went missing for 11 days before his body was found in a Donna Lake, Texas. Victor Hugo Reyes' murder still remains unsolved. The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office in the primary department investigating this unsolved crime. No Justice, No Peace for the family.
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: October 13, 2018
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Irene Ozuna
Age 45
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Mario Lozano Lemus
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Mexico
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 1300 block of North Carolina Street in Alton
Penitas TX, 78572
Hidaglo
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office

Cold Case Spotlight

According to officials, 24-year-old Mario Lozano is the main suspect in the death of his mother in law 45-year-old Irene Ozuna and 24-year-old Maria Angelita Vasquez, his sister-in-law.Vasquez’s husband who chose to remain anonymous, says he witnessed the incident. He adds Lozano has been part of their family for a few years and this situation comes as a shock. The witness says that on Saturday night, the suspect’s wife called her sister and mother asking for help because she was having a fight with her husband at their home. The victim’s husband adds his mother in law was shot in the head inside the house and died instantly. His wife also received a shot to the head and died while waiting for medical attention. Authorities are still searching for Lozano. If you have any information on his whereabouts contact Hidalgo County Crime Stoppers at (956) 668-8477 Should your tip lead to an arrest, apprehension or prevention of a crime, you may be eligible for a cash reward up to 1,000 Dollars
CCR: 94-15848
Date Reported: June 18, 1994
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Alonso Garcia Ayala
Age 32
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 2 miles N SH 107 on FM 1425
Edcouch Texas, 78538
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office
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: 91-03917
Date Reported: March 14, 1991
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Edgar Ricardo Carrillo
Age 29
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location E. SH 107
Edinburg Texas, 78539
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sherriff's Office
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: June 14, 1998
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Maria Marisella Gonzalez
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location Hudson Road
San Benito Texas, 78586
Cameron
L.E.A Cameron County Sheriff's Office

Cold Case Spotlight

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) – A woman well known by the community disappeared with no trace only for her flesh-eaten body to be discovered days later in a resaca, leaving authorities with no leads. 23 years later, the murder of Maria Marisella Gonzalez remains unsolved. Also known as “Marcie,” Gonzalez was a dancer at Crazy Horse Topless Bar. Gonzalez was last seen spending time in Harlingen’s La Placita district on June 8, 1998. Witnesses told authorities that Gonzalez was seen entering a vehicle with a man. The dancer was discovered dead in a resaca near Hudson Road outside San Benito on June 14, 1998, according to the Cameron County Sheriffs’ Office. Gonzalez’s body was found with multiple skull and facial fractures with her face flesh eaten away by “whatever lies in the murky waters.” The 35-year-old woman was identified as “Marcie” through her clothing, jewelry, and the tattoo of a rose on her right shoulder. According to an autopsy report released at the time, Gonzalez’s cause of death was determined to be three blows to the head and face delivered with a blunt object. Preliminary pathology reports ruled her death as a homicide. CCSO Investigator at the time Domingo Diaz told reporters that the agency has questioned all of Gonzalez’s acquaintances but had no leads. Diaz stated that he was sure that “someone saw… something.” As a rise in murders spiked during the time of Gonzalez’s death, reporters spoke with other county officials. Hidalgo County District Attorney Rene Guerra emphasized the importance of witnesses, stating murders like Gonzalez’s, that lack witnesses tend to go unsolved. This case remains an open investigation. Individuals with any information on this case are asked to call the Cameron County Crime Stoppers at their hotline: (866)-350-5551 or (956)-350-5551.
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: March 23, 2016
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Oneida Alanis Balderas Garza
Age 44
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 200th block of Ebony Court
Rio Grande City Texas, 78582
Starr County
L.E.A Rio Grande City Police Department

Cold Case Spotlight

It was around 9:30 am on March 23rd when the bodies of two Rio Grande City CISD employees were found inside the residence of Garza located on the 200th block of Ebony Court. Lourdes M. Elizondo (33) and Oneida Alanis Balderas Garza (44) had been shot execution style with their hands bound. Both women worked in the Business Office of the school district
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: June 5, 2001
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Genaro Melendez
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) — A 30-year-old man survived a kidnapping only to be captured and murdered a few years later, authorities continue to look for his murderer two decades later. As the lone survivor in a drug-related kidnapping, Genaro Melendez believed he was in the clear for years but he was kidnapped again in 2001. Melendez was lured into a vehicle at approximately 2:30 a.m. on June 5, 2001, to never again be seen alive. A few days later Melendez’s body was discovered in an empty field, near Boca Chica Beach. His body was found “tied up and had sustained three shots through the head,” according to Cameron County Sheriff at the time, Conrado M Cantu. Sheriff Cantu told reporters from the Brownsville Herald that Melendez’s body appeared to have been killed “execution-style.” The investigation revealed that Melendez’s murder was drug-related. The Cameron County Sheriffs Office does have a person of interest in this case, however, no arrests have been made and the case 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: 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.