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The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled the death of Regina Santos-Aviles, a congressional staffer for U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, as a suicide by self-immolation following an investigation into the September incident at her Uvalde home.
Santos-Aviles, 35, served as Gonzales’ Uvalde Regional District Director. She was found critically burned in her backyard the night of Sept. 13, after emergency crews responded to reports of a disturbance around 9:30 p.m. Paramedics transported her by air to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where she died early the next morning on Sept. 14.
Firefighters reported finding and extinguishing a burning gas can at the scene. According to the Uvalde Police Department, which investigated the case with assistance from the Texas Rangers, there was no indication of foul play and no evidence that anyone else was present when the fire occurred.
In an Oct. 24 letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, attorneys representing the City of Uvalde requested that investigative materials—including 911 recordings, police reports, and body-camera footage—be withheld from public release.
The city argued that the records contain highly sensitive information and that their release would infringe on the privacy rights of Santos-Aviles’ family.
The letter also stated that the investigation would soon be closed without any criminal charges being filed. Under Texas law, records from cases that do not result in a conviction or deferred adjudication may be exempt from disclosure.
Representative Gonzales has not publicly commented on his staffer’s death.
The case has drawn broad public scrutiny and renewed debate over how much information should be released in sensitive death investigations involving public officials or their employees. Both state and local agencies have cited privacy protections and ongoing investigative procedures as reasons for withholding records.
