Rigoberto Badillo’s family says his early release from Kaufman County Jail during freezing temperatures without their knowledge likely contributed to his death.
KAUFMAN, Texas — The body of a man reported missing from Farmers Branch was found in a creek in Kaufman County this week, officials confirmed, as his family now raises concerns about the circumstances surrounding his release from jail and subsequent death.
Officers discovered the body around 12:30 p.m. Sunday in a creek near the 1900 block of East Highway 175, between the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office and Numo Manufacturing. According to police, the body was wearing clothes consistent with what Rigoberto Badillo, 49, was last seen wearing on Jan. 19, and had a tattoo matching his description.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office later identified the body as Badillo. The cause and manner of death have not been determined, pending a complete medical examination.
Badillo had been missing since Jan. 19, when police said he was last seen around 1 a.m. at 1900 East U.S. Highway 175 in Kaufman. He had been released from the Kaufman County Jail, where he was serving time for a probation violation related to a DWI case.
His family made the gruesome discovery first during a search on Sunday before calling police. They tell WFAA that they plan to sue the county for negligence and have already asked the sheriff’s office to maintain all records in connection to Badillo’s death.
Badillo’s wife and son tell WFAA they expected him to be released on Jan. 20 but were not notified when he was released a day early at midnight, despite freezing temperatures.
“It’s midnight and freezing cold,” said Juanita Badillo, Rigoberto’s wife. “I’m not asking them to have paid for a ride for him. I’m not asking. They could have made one phone call.”
Video footage from around 1:18 a.m. on Jan. 19 captured Badillo wandering near the Kaufman County Pet Adoption Center. Police said his belongings were later found abandoned near the jail’s front entrance.
County documents obtained by the family show a corporal inside a vehicle in the parking lot that night reported seeing Badillo open his back door. The corporal notified dispatch, saying, “The male opened his back door,” and noted, “The male doesn’t seem all there.”
Juanita Badillo said that acknowledgment should have prompted action.
“He was not all there, and the corporal verified that,” she said. “A phone call to his family could have changed everything.”
According to county records, security footage showed Badillo in the parking lot until he eventually wandered away.
Badillo’s family continued searching for him until his body was discovered in the creek, not far from the jail. His son, Eddie Badillo, described the scene as challenging to process. Badillo’s body had already begun decomposing–his hands were in his pockets.
“Seeing their father the way he was…it was pretty graphic,” he said. Juanita Badillo said the family was devastated by the discovery. “The screams of when my son called me—’ Mom, I found a body, I found a body, I found a body,'” she recalled.
“And we couldn’t see a face because his face was gone.”
The Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the circumstances surrounding Badillo’s disappearance and death.
Meanwhile, the family is preparing for legal action. “He could have been sitting here with us,” Juanita Badillo said. “But instead, he’s in a morgue.” The investigation remains ongoing, according to a statement from Kaufman police, pending the Medical Examiner’s report regarding the cause of death.