On a late summer evening in Uvalde, Texas, a small city already seared into the national memory by the tragic 2022 school shooting, another devastating event unfolded. On September 13, 2025, Regina Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old senior aide to Congressman Tony Gonzales, doused herself with gasoline in her backyard and set herself on fire. Despite being airlifted to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, she succumbed to her injuries the following day, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News and The Daily Mail.
The circumstances surrounding Santos-Aviles’s death quickly drew public scrutiny, not only for their harrowing nature but also for the swirl of rumors and political intrigue that followed. Multiple sources told The Daily Mail that Santos-Aviles and Congressman Gonzales, a married father of six and a moderate Republican in his third term, had been engaged in an affair. The alleged relationship, which began after Santos-Aviles joined Gonzales’s staff as the director of his Uvalde regional office in November 2021, was reportedly known to her husband, Adrian Aviles. The two had been separated for several months before her death but continued to co-parent their eight-year-old son.
As details emerged, Santos-Aviles’s family maintained that her death was not an intentional act of suicide. Her mother, Nora Ann Gonzales, recounted to the Express-News her daughter’s final words: “I don’t want to die.” According to her mother, Santos-Aviles was still conscious when she arrived at the scene, despite the severity of her burns. Family members insisted the incident was a tragic accident, a claim echoed by others close to Santos-Aviles, who described her as deeply committed to her family and her work. “She loved life and loved her family and loved everyone and loved doing for others,” her mother said. “She loved the work that she did and how she helped the communities get funding for things they needed.”
Officials confirmed that Santos-Aviles was alone in her backyard when the fire started. Surveillance footage, installed by her estranged husband, captured the incident and was later handed over to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) crime lab for further review. The Uvalde Police Department, in a statement to The Daily Mail, noted, “At this stage of the investigation, we do not have any information to suggest that anyone else was involved.” Preliminary findings from DPS personnel also confirmed her solitude at the time of the blaze.
Despite the absence of evidence pointing to foul play, the investigation has not been without controversy. The Uvalde Police Department has withheld public records related to the case, including the 911 call, surveillance footage, and police reports. Investigators petitioned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to keep these files sealed, a move described by The Daily Mail as “unusual,” given that similar records are often released in active investigations, even when criminal charges are pending. This decision has fueled accusations of favoritism toward Congressman Gonzales, whose political influence is significant in the region.
Further complicating matters was a political flare-up involving Uvalde Police Chief Homer E. Delgado. During the investigation, a now-deleted Facebook post surfaced featuring Delgado’s endorsement of Gonzales, prompting Uvalde City Council member Ernest Santos to voice concerns about the department’s neutrality. “Here we have a chief of police endorsing this candidate, and we have this happen with an employee of Tony Gonzales. We must remain neutral. We need to make sure we do everything by the book,” Santos told the Express-News. In response, Delgado claimed that Gonzales had used his name without authorization, and the endorsement was quietly removed from campaign social media accounts.
Congressman Gonzales, for his part, has not directly addressed the allegations of an affair. His spokesman, when repeatedly asked by The Daily Mail to comment, refused to deny the relationship. Instead, the spokesman issued a statement lauding Santos-Aviles’s contributions: “Regina Aviles was a kind soul who had a lasting impact on her community, which she continued to serve until her untimely death. To see political bottom feeders distort the circumstances around her passing is truly sickening. Tony Gonzales remains laser-focused on delivering historic achievements for Texas and condemns any attempts to misuse this tragedy.”
Gonzales himself also released a public statement expressing his condolences. “We are all heart-stricken by the recent news. Regina devoted her profession toward making a difference in her community. She will always be remembered for her passion toward Uvalde and helping the community become a better place,” it read. Despite these words, sources told The Daily Mail that Gonzales did not attend Santos-Aviles’s funeral, which was held on September 25, 2025.
Santos-Aviles’s professional life was marked by her dedication to Uvalde and its residents. Before joining Gonzales’s staff, she served as the executive director of the Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce. Friends and colleagues described her as a devoted mother, a loving daughter, and a loyal friend. Her obituary painted a portrait of a woman who “loved life” and “helped the community become a better place.”
Photographs from the past years show Santos-Aviles at the side of Congressman Gonzales, including during Elon Musk’s high-profile tour of the US-Mexico border in Eagle Pass in September 2023—a moment emblematic of her close involvement in the congressman’s work and the region’s political life.
As the investigation continues, the community of Uvalde is left grappling with grief and unanswered questions. The decision to withhold key records has only deepened suspicions among some residents, while others urge respect for the privacy of Santos-Aviles’s family. The case has also reignited broader debates about transparency, accountability, and the intersection of personal tragedy with public office.
For now, the official cause of death remains pending, according to the medical examiner, though authorities believe the death was a self-immolation. The incident has cast a long shadow over both the local political landscape and the personal lives of those involved, serving as a somber reminder of the complexities that can lie beneath the surface of public service and private relationships.
As Uvalde mourns another loss, the life and death of Regina Santos-Aviles continue to stir difficult conversations about truth, responsibility, and the cost of public scrutiny in small-town America.
