Regina Santos-=Aviles was working for U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales when authorities say she died in September. Her manner of death was listed as suicide.
SAN ANTONIO — The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that a Republican congressman’s staffer who passed away in Uvalde in September died of self-immolation, meaning she intentionally set herself on fire.
Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, died Sept. 13 in the South Texas city, sparking an investigation led by the Texas Rangers. Local authorities had said from the start there were no indications of foul play in her death, and a subsequent report from the Uvalde Leader News said Santos-Aviles had “doused herself in gasoline and was ignited into flames.”
Officials ruled her manner of death as suicide.
According to LinkedIn, Santos-Aviles had worked for U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, which includes San Antonio and Uvalde, since 2021. The third-term Texas Republican said in a statement soon after her death was initially reported that she would be remembered for working to make a difference in the lives of Texans.
“We are all heart-stricken by the recent news,” he wrote in September. “She will always be remembered for her passion towards Uvalde and helping the community become a better place.”
Uvalde police had determined by Sept. 23 that Santos-Aviles was alone in her backyard when she died, adding they had obtained surveillance footage of the incident.