VICTIM DETAILS

Name	John Doe 12
Gender	Female
Race	Unknown

SUSPECT DETAILS

Name	Aristeo Garcia Cervantes
Offense	Murder
Cause	Unknown

CASE DETAILS

Status	Arrest Made
Incident location	8029 Dallas St. Edcouch Texas, 78538 Hidalgo
L.E.A	HCSO

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Cold Case Spotlight

Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra announced Thursday that a 40-year-old Edcouch man recently confessed to killing a woman and dumping her body in a septic tank. Aristeo Garcia Cervantes, 40, of Edcouch confessed to killing a woman and hiding her body in a septic tank, Guerra said Thursday morning during a news conference at the Sheriff’s Office. Cervantes said he killed the woman roughly 10 to 12 years ago and didn’t remember her name, Guerra said, adding that investigators believe the murder occurred in 2004... The Sheriff’s Office started investigating the murder on July 26, 2017, when someone called to report human remains in a septic tank, Guerra said. Investigators went to a home near Edcouch, where Cervantes’ daughter and her boyfriend said they’d been having problems with the septic tank. When the boyfriend and another man attempted to fix the problem, they found a woman’s boot in the septic tank, Guerra said. After they removed the boot, they found a large bone — and called the Sheriff’s Office. Investigators sent the body to a private forensic lab in Virginia for DNA testing, Guerra said. The Sheriff’s Office researched missing women and welfare concerns during the time period, attempting to identify the woman. Investigators are currently talking with a family.

VICTIM DETAILS

Name	Rogelio Riojas
Age	43
Gender	Male
Race	Hispanic/Latino

SUSPECT DETAILS

Name	Unknown
Offense	Murder
Cause	Knife/Stabbing
Location	Unknown

CASE DETAILS

Status	Unsolved
Incident location	2nd mobile home E. of 6 1/2 Weslaco Texas, 78596 Hidalgo
L.E.A	Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office

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VICTIM DETAILS

Name	Reynaldo Castaneda
Age	52
Gender	Male
Race	Hispanic/Latino

SUSPECT DETAILS

Name	Unknown
Offense	Murder
Cause	Blunt Force
Location	Unknown

CASE DETAILS

Status	Unsolved
Incident location	Mile 10 N and Mile 1 W Mercedes Texas, 78570 Hidalgo
L.E.A	Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office

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Cold Case Spotlight

When deputies arrived, they discovered the bodies of 52-year-old Reynaldo Castaneda and 74-year-old Alberto Castaneda. Newspaper archives indicate that the men were a father and his son. 74-year-old, Alberto Castaneda At the time, authorities said there was clear evidence of foul play. In January 2021 the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone with information about the double homicide to come forward.

VICTIM DETAILS

Name	Nahomi Rodriguez
Age	19
Gender	Female
Race	Hispanic/Latino

SUSPECT DETAILS

Name	Unknown
Offense	Murder
Cause	Unknown
Location	Unknown

CASE DETAILS

Status	Unsolved
Incident location	602 N. 77 Sunshine Strip Harlingen, Texas, 78550 Cameron
L.E.A	Harlingen Police Department

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Cold Case Spotlight

On July 16, 2017, Nahomi Rodriguez, a 19-year old, went missing from McDonald’s in Harlingen, Texas. She was last seen alive entering a light colored early 2000s Ford Escape on surveillance video outside her work at a McDonald’s in Harlingen in July 2016. About one year later her skeletal remains were found in Rio Hondo in April 2017. Investigators believe that the same person and vehicle are captured on video from a camera inside the fast food restaurant. A man in a white cap with a black shirt pulls up to the drive-through window. Nahomi can be seen giving the unknown man a fist-punch. The Harlingen police department, law enforcement partners, and community partners are offering $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Naomi's disappearance and death.

VICTIM DETAILS

Name	Anastacio Rocha Jr.
Age	37
Gender	Male
Race	Hispanic/Latino

SUSPECT DETAILS

Name	Juan David Garcia
Offense	Murder
Cause	Gun/Firearm

CASE DETAILS

Status	Arrest Made
Incident location	3898 Gladiola Dr Edinburg Texas, 78539 Hidalgo
L.E.A	HCSO

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Cold Case Spotlight

Friends found a 37-year-old San Carlos man dead late Monday night northwest of Edinburg. Family members called the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office at about 7:30 p.m. Monday to report Anastacio Rocha, 37, of San Carlos hadn’t returned home, said Sheriff Eddie Guerra. They also called OnStar, the vehicle tracking and roadside assistance service, which provided a GPS location for Rocha’s car. Four friends went to the location near Big Five Road and Mile 14, where they found Rocha dead in the car, Guerra said. Investigators haven’t said where, exactly, Rochas was located in the car when they found him. Investigators determined Rocha suffered what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head, Guerra said. The Sheriff’s Office is treating Rocha’s death as a homicide.

VICTIM DETAILS

Name	Jose Munoz
Age	33
Gender	Male
Race	Caucasian/White

SUSPECT DETAILS

Name	unknown
Offense	Murder
Cause	Blunt Force
Location	unknown

CASE DETAILS

Status	Unsolved
Incident location	6 3/4 N. Inspiration Rd Mission Texas, 78572 Hidalgo
L.E.A	Hidalgo Co. Sherriff's Office

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VICTIM DETAILS

Name	Juan Jose Marquez
Gender	Male
Race	Hispanic/Latino

SUSPECT DETAILS

Name	Unknown
Offense	Murder
Cause	Gun/Firearm
Location	Unknown

CASE DETAILS

Status	Unsolved
Incident location	1/10 Mile S. of Rancho Toluca Rd. on Mile 3 Weslaco Texas, 78596 Hidalgo
L.E.A	Hidalgo Co. Sherriff's Office

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VICTIM DETAILS

Name	Olga Espinosa
Age	30
Gender	Female
Race	Hispanic/Latino

SUSPECT DETAILS

Name	Alvaro Medrano
Offense	Hit and Run
Cause	Beaten/Battered

CASE DETAILS

Status	Arrest Made
Incident location	24576 N Sunflower Rd Edinburg Texas, 78539 Hidalgo
L.E.A	HCSO

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Cold Case Spotlight

A 47-year-old man has been charged with capital murder after authorities say he confessed to shooting and killing two women in rural Edinburg on Tuesday evening. Alvaro Medrano, 47, of Edcouch was charged with capital murder, a capitol felony, on Wednesday. A Hidalgo County Justice of the Peace set bond at $2 million. At about 6:48 p.m. on Tuesday, Sheriff’s deputies responded to an area near Sunflower Road in rural Edinburg in “reference to a 911 caller reporting that he had shot his wife“, according to a news release from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies located Medrano as he was walking away from the location, and detained him without incident near Farm-to-Market Road 493 and Farm-to-Market Road 2812, according to the news release. When deputies responded to the Medrano’s residence, they found two female bodies inside of a vehicle with gunshot wounds to the head. The bodies were identified as Medrano’s wife, 30-year-old Olga Espinosa, and Medrano’s mother-in-law, 52-year-old Irene Espinosa, according to the news release. Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office investigators and Crime Scene Specialists collected evidence from the scene, including the handgun that was used in the shootings, according to the news release. After an investigation, the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office “learned that Medrano had streamed his confession on Facebook Live, while walking away from the crime scene,” according to the news release. Investigators are working with the Facebook Law Enforcement Compliance Department to preserve the livestream as evidence. During an interview, Medrano confessed to killing his wife and mother-in-law in a domestic disturbance due to infidelity, according to the news release. The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who may be a victim of domestic violence to seek help from their respective law enforcement agencies.

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

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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.

VICTIM DETAILS

Name	Jose "Luis" Martinez Jr.
Age	14
Gender	Male
Race	Hispanic/Latino

SUSPECT DETAILS

Name	3 Suspects-Unknown
Offense	Murder
Cause	Gun/Firearm
Location	Unknown

CASE DETAILS

Status	Unsolved
Incident location	232 West Longoria Street Pharr Texas, 78577 Hidalgo County
L.E.A	Pharr Police Department

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Cold Case Spotlight

Jose Luis Martinez Jr., 14, died with a fatal shot that hit his chest at about 11:31 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2011, during a drive-by shooting on the 200 block of West Longoria Street, according to the Police Department. Two of the bullets each struck relatives 27-year-old Christopher Lee Perez and 30-year-old Jodie Cristina Cross. The single gunshot, believed to have been fired from a .380-caliber pistol, took Jose Luis life. At least three suspected gang members shouted their group’s name — Loco Trece — as they sped away from the 200 block of West Longoria Drive about 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Witnesses at the scene described a red passenger vehicle, possibly a Honda, occupied by three to four subjects leaving the crime scene of the shooting westbound on Longoria street in Las Milpas (South Pharr), Texas.