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Police and medical examiner records related to an alleged self-immolation of 35-year-old Regina Santos-Aviles in Uvalde are being withheld due to a possible criminal investigation, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Santos-Aviles allegedly set herself on fire in Uvalde on Sept. 13. At the time, she had been working under Congressman Tony Gonzales as a regional district director.
Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado said in a statement in the days following her death that there was no indication of foul play, but that his department and The Texas Rangers were investigating.
Requests for documents related to the case were met with the City of Uvalde seeking an opinion from the Texas Attorney General’s office to withhold them based on “pending possible criminal prosecution" according to the Express-News.
Uvalde City Attorney Frank Garza also sought to deny a request for the records made by The Texas Newsroom.
Cities can request opinions from the Texas Attorney General if withholding certain documents can be exempt from open records laws and the Freedom of Information Act.
In his formal request, Garza cited an exception in state law that allows for information to be withheld if “it is information relating to litigation of a civil or criminal nature to which the state or a political subdivision is or may be a party or to which an officer or employee of the state or a political subdivision, as a consequence of the person's office or employment, is or may be a party.”
Opinions from the AG’s office are usually issued within 45 days if it's a public information request.
Santos-Aviles was a regional district director for Rep. Tony Gonzales' office since November of 2021.
Before that, she was executive director of the Uvalde Chamber of Commerce and a board member of the Uvalde Area Development Foundation.
