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: December 21, 1989
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Efrain Garcia Villarreal
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Offense Murder
Cause Blunt Force
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
L.E.A Cameron County Sheriff's Dept

Cold Case Spotlight

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A night out takes a turn for the worse after a man’s body was discovered beaten the morning after. 32 years later, Efrain Garcia Villarreal’s murder remains unsolved with no arrests. Villarreal was last seen on December 21, 1989, around 2 a.m. at the Taconazo Bar located in Cameron Park. According to the Cameron County Sheriffs Office, Villarreal was reported to have last been seen with a man known as “El Shorre” or the “Short One.” As the night came to an end and a new day began, Villareal’s body was found on Salida Del Sol Road. The investigation revealed that Villareal had been beaten to death with a heavy type of object that was used to strike him several times. Reporters at the time attempted to contact the Cameron County Sheriffs Office for more information but were not successful. This investigation 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
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Angel Torrez
Age 25
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location Wagner Ave. & Wabash Street
Bexar
L.E.A San Antonio Police Dept.

Cold Case Spotlight

CCR: 03-25018
Date Reported: October 15, 2003
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Unknown
Gender Unknown
Race Unknown
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Unknown
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location west of Iowa road
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office
CCR: 01-19446
Date Reported: September 19, 2001
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Unknown
Gender Unknown
Race Unknown
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Unknown
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 13 1/2 miles north of Conway
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office
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: Unknown
Date Reported: May 23, 1990
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Laura Guerra
Age 22
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 1111 W. Main Street.
RIO MOTEL
Rio Grande City Texas, 78582
Starr County
L.E.A Starr County Sheriff's Office

Cold Case Spotlight

On May 23rd, 1990, the dead body of Laura Guerra,22, was found in a wooded area across the road from the Rio Motel in Rio Grande City. The RIO MOTEL is located at 1111 W. Main Street. Investigators believe that Guerra was murdered at another location, possibly at the motel, and that her body was dumped in the wooded area. Autopsy results indicate that Guerra was killed three days earlier by a gunshot wound to the head. Several clues were followed, but the case went cold. Texas Rangers and the Starr County Sheriff’s Office have reopened this case, and are seeking the public’s help for information to help identify Guerra’s killer. Investigators believe that a possible witness may have information on this crime, and are asking for the public’s help in identifying a person known in the area, in 1990, known as "Gaston Garza," or "Mariano".
CCR: 03-7374
Date Reported: April 1, 2003
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Norma Alvarez
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Unknown
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 8 1/2 north Bentsen Palm drive
L.E.A Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office
CCR: Unknown
Date Reported: April 26, 2006
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Efrian Garcia
Age 55
Gender Male
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name Unknown
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Reynosa Mexico
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location Unknown
Reynosa State of Tamaulipas, 88500
Unknown
L.E.A Mexican Police
Efrain Garcia was murder on April 26, 2006, in Reynosa Mexico after receiving a call for his pest control business. He and a coworker responded to the call for service as they approach the location in entering a Cul-de-sac in a business district in Reynosa Mexico. His co-worker jumped out of the truck and fled the scene. As shots were fired striking Efrain multiple times killing him instead. No Justice. No Peace.
CCR: 13-55130
Date Reported: October 25, 2013
VICTIM DETAILS
Name Jolissa "Socorro" Rangel
Age 20
Gender Female
Race Hispanic/Latino
SUSPECT DETAILS
Name 3 Unknown Suspects
Offense Murder
Cause Gun/Firearm
Location Unknown
CASE DETAILS
Status Unsolved
Incident location 1702 S Closner Blvd
Edinburg Texas, 78539
Hidalgo County
L.E.A Edinburg Police Department

Cold Case Spotlight

On Friday, October 25, 2013, around 9:30 pm Jolissa ‘Socorro” Rangel a 20-year-old female was found shot to death inside her apartment located 2400 block of Kimberly Lane in Edinburg, Texas with a gunshot wound to her heart. Rangel lived with her 2-year-old son and her sister. No justice, No Peace! The family is offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of the person/persons responsible for the murder of Jolissa Rangel.
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.