The City of Uvalde on Monday released police reports and evidence related to the September death of Regina Santos-Aviles, a regional district director for Congressman Tony Gonzales.
The records confirm the medical examiner’s finding that Santos-Aviles died by suicide after setting herself on fire.
According to the reports, the first officer on scene spoke with Santos-Aviles while she lay burned on the front porch. She told the officer she had learned her husband was having an affair with her best friend, and that drove her to pour gasoline on herself and ignite it.
Records indicate Santos-Aviles may have placed a 911 call in which she told dispatchers, “I don’t want to die.” Moments later, her mother also contacted 911.
The City of Uvalde on Monday released police reports and evidence related to the September death of Regina Santos-Aviles, a regional district director for Congressman Tony Gonzales.
Investigators recovered video evidence, including footage Santos-Aviles allegedly sent to a friend that shows her pouring gasoline on herself.
“In the five-second video clip, it clearly shows Aviles lifting what appears to be a gasoline canister and pouring unknown liquid onto herself. The video does not show any fire being ignited,” a detective writes.
Home security video captured that moment from another angle, and then shows the moment Santos-Aviles retrieved a torch lighter to ignite the fire.
Police interviewed several friends who said they had spent time with Santos-Aviles earlier in the day. They described her as sad but not overtly suicidal, and said she left her car and other belongings at their home, planning to retrieve them later.
One friend told investigators that rumors of an affair had put a heavy strain on her marriage, though investigators did not include additional details.
When Adrian Aviles, Regina’s husband, was interviewed, he told police that Regina had “previously made self-harm threats.”
He also mentioned that Santos-Aviles had been on antidepressants and was consuming alcohol.
Officers also investigated rumors that Santos-Aviles may have been pregnant; the medical examiner reported no findings to support that claim.
The released documents do not mention Congressman Gonzales.
The timing of the release raises questions.
In December, the Texas Attorney General ruled that the records could remain sealed, saying the family’s privacy interests outweighed the public interest in disclosure.
Last week, Congressman Gonzales posted on X, calling for the reports to be made public.
Uvalde police said at the time they would adhere to the attorney general’s decision.
The Uvalde Police Department completed its investigation in November 2025 with the assistance of the Texas Rangers and the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office. Following a comprehensive review of the evidence, the Medical Examiner ruled the manner of death as self-immolation. Investigators found no evidence of criminal involvement in this case.At the time the city sought the opinion of the Attorney General, the investigation had not been completed, and the city received a request from Mrs. Aviles’ family to keep the records confidential because of their family privacy concerns. An opinion was sought from the Texas Attorney General regarding the applicability of common-law privacy protections to certain records associated with this investigation and the open investigation. In December 2025, the Office of the Attorney General advised the city that audio recordings, video recordings, and images related to this case must be withheld under common-law privacy protections.The Attorney General further ruled that the police report narrative and police reports were protected because the investigation was still not complete. At this time, the Uvalde Police Department will continue to rely on the original Attorney General’s opinion in responding to records requests related to this case.
City officials have not responded to requests for an explanation on what prompted Monday’s release.
An attorney for Adrian Aviles, Regina’s husband, told News 4 and Fox SA that the family was not notified and did not request the records be made public.
The release comes as Gonzales faces a primary election next week.
Several opponents have called on him to resign, and Gonzales has accused at least one challenger of politicizing the staffer’s death. He has characterized criticism as a coordinated political attack.
His office has not returned our request for comment on these developments.