Newly obtained autopsy findings have added further detail to a tragic case that is now reverberating through Texas politics.
Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, a former Regional District Director for Republican Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, died in September 2025 in Uvalde, Texas. According to a report from the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office obtained by the Daily Caller, her death was ruled a suicide. The report states the cause of death was self-immolation.
JUST IN: Rep. Tony Gonzales REFUSES to resign after text messages appear to show him to be having an affair with a young married female staffer who eventually set herself ON FIRE after her husband found out and it was all exposed.
This is so disgraceful. pic.twitter.com/8UhXddYyQP
— Eric Spracklen (@EricSpracklen) February 24, 2026
The autopsy found Santos-Aviles sustained burns to nearly 100% of her body. Surveillance footage cited in the report reportedly showed her pouring a liquid on herself in her backyard before setting herself on fire.
Toxicology results indicated Santos-Aviles had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.094% at the time of her death, above Texas’ legal intoxication threshold of 0.08%, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. The report also detected a prescribed amphetamine in her system.
The tragedy has taken on added political dimensions following the emergence of alleged text messages between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles. The San Antonio Express-News first reported that the messages appeared to show Gonzales pressing her for explicit images and personal information, even after she allegedly told him he was going “too far.”
When questioned on February 24 about the authenticity of the messages, Gonzales declined to confirm or deny them. “I am not going to resign. I work every day for the people of Texas,” he told reporters. He added that more details would emerge in time and suggested that publicly released information does not represent the full context.
BREAKING: After publicly denying an affair with a staffer so distraught, she took her own life, staff for Congressman Tony Gonzales have come forward. “It’s was an open secret.”
They revealed text messages confirming it. Tony is currently trailing challenger Brandon Herrera. pic.twitter.com/wnXIJK65il
— Kathy Barnette (@Kathy4Truth) February 18, 2026
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to meet with Gonzales as scrutiny intensifies. While Johnson acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, he indicated earlier this week that he believes it is premature to demand Gonzales’ resignation, emphasizing the need for more facts.
Not all Republicans share that view. Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, and Nancy Mace of South Carolina have publicly called for Gonzales to step down, according to The Associated Press.
