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: 01-19446
Date Reported: September 14, 2001
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Unknown
Gender Unknown
Race Unknown
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Suspicious Death
Cause Unknown
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 13 1/2 miles north Conway
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office

CCR: 93-6243
Date Reported: March 14, 1993
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Benito Garza
Age 82
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Unknown
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location North of the radiostation on "I" road
L.E.A Hidalgo County 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: 04-01590
Date Reported: January 19, 2004
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Eluina Calderon Ruiz
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 12 1/2 NW on Mile 12
Mission TX, 78572
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sheriff's Office

CCR: 98-01256
Date Reported: January 23, 1998
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Maria McKey
Gender Female
Race Caucasian/White
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location Val Verde Rd. & Business 83
Alamo Texas, 78516
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo Co. Sherriff's Office

CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: April 18, 2006
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Merardo Magana Garza
Age 63
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location West
Los Ebanos Texas`, 78565
Hidalgo
L.E.A unknown

Cold Case Spotlight

Merardo Magana Garza was lovingly known as “Tano.” He was adored by many in the city of Mission and was known to be a sharp dresser and a ladies' man. The 63-year-old father was found dead on April 18, 2006 west of Los Ebanos. According to Chavez, at the time investigators could not determine Garza’s cause of death. “Officials were unable to see or say how he died because his body was burned and decomposed,” said Chavez. “But, it was ruled as a homicide, the cause is just undetermined.” Garza still had his jewelry when officials found him, according to Chavez... Chavez said investigators have been unable to reach out to family members for new leads and investigators have no trace of the immediate family. ValleyCentral located his obituary, which said Garza was married with children.
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: 2014-00008696
Date Reported: February 4, 2014
VICTIM DETAILS
Name David Means
Age 22
Gender Male
Race Caucasian/White
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name 23-year-old Joseph Espinoza, 23-year-old Hector Nicolas Medina-Castillo and 23-year-old Luz Aurora Rivera-Ibarra
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 4800 block of La Vista Avenue
McAllen Texas, 78501
Hidalgo County
L.E.A McAllen Police Department

Cold Case Spotlight

Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding three people who have been identified as suspects in connection to a deadly weekend home invasion in McAllen. A home invasion off the 4800 block of La Vista Avenue left Arturo Hinojosa and David Means dead on Saturday night. McAllen police reported on Tuesday morning that three suspects have been identified. Investigators are looking for 23-year-old Joseph Espinoza on murder and aggravated robbery charges. Espinoza was last seen driving a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe. McAllen police also reported that 23-year-old Hector Nicolas Medina-Castillo is also wanted on murder and possession of marijuana charges. A third suspect identified as 23-year-old Luz Aurora Rivera-Ibarra is wanted on a possession of marijuana charge. Investigators say two more suspects only known by their nicknames "El Cholo" and "Boxer" still need to be identified. Anyone with information about the suspects or the case is asked to call McAllen Crime Stoppers at (956) 687-TIPS or (956) 687-8477
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: 13-03653
Date Reported: January 29, 2013
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Dora Elia Gaitan
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 802 Church
San Juan Texas, 78589
Hidalgo
L.E.A Hidalgo CO. Sherriff's Office

Dora Elia Gaitan was fatally shot in her home in San Juan, Texas on January 29th, 2013.