Medical Examiner Rules Uvalde Congressional Staffer’s Death a Suicide by Self-Immolation

Overview

• Santos-Aviles, 35, was found critically burned at her Uvalde home on Sept. 13 and died the next morning at Brooke Army Medical Center.
• The Uvalde Police Department, assisted by the Texas Rangers, says home surveillance indicates she was alone and that no one else was involved.
• The Texas Department of Public Safety told the attorney general on Nov. 10 it is declining to release certain materials, and the city has cited a closed-case confidentiality statute to withhold 911 audio, reports and body-camera footage.
• Uvalde officials say the police inquiry is expected to conclude soon without criminal charges.
• Family members have disputed the suicide ruling and, along with an attorney for her husband, have urged authorities not to release sensitive records, while Rep. Tony Gonzales has not commented publicly.