Unsolved Death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jose Gamez, Jr. Celebrates 38th Anniversary
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2016
On April 21, 2016 will mark the 38th anniversary of the suspicious death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Jose Gamez, Jr. in Maverick County, Texas. None of the federal agencies investigating the death of Jose Gamez, Jr., including the FBI and Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), were ever able to prove who killed agent Gamez while on duty in northern Maverick County.
Records from 1978 state that Gamez lost his life while on duty and patrolling out on a ranch in Quemado, Maverick County along the Rio Grande River.
Reports state that Gamez and his Border Patrol partner on that fateful evening on April 21, 1978, Frank Lugo, were on duty that night and had supposedly had an encounter with a group of illegal immigrants entering the United States from Mexico and the Rio Grande River near a water irrigation canal gate.
Gamez and Lugo gave chase to the undocumented aliens and ended-up allegedly separating from each other and something went very wrong, leading to Gamez’s dis-appearance the reports state.
Border patrol agents and law enforcement agencies searched for Gamez throughout the night and were unable to find him until the following morning as Gamez’s lifeless body was found in an irrigation canal.
Initial speculations were that Gamez could have lost his footing while giving chase to the undocumented aliens and falling into the water and possibly drowning.
Border Patrol agents did apprehend some undocumented aliens in the area of where Gamez had gone missing.
An autopsy was later performed on Gamez’s body and it was determined that Gamez had been struck on the head three times and strangled, making it a homicide case.
Lugo was debriefed and at that time concerns were raised over Agent Lugo’s veracity for what happened that tragic evening and how the search for Gamez could have possibly destroyed evidence in what could now be considered a possible murder case.
All eyes then turned on BP Agent Lugo because he seemed to contradict himself in statements of that night’s occurrences on numerous occasions to investigators.
Although Lugo remained the lead suspect for numerous years in an FBI investigation, Lugo was never arrested or indicted in connection with Gamez’s death due to insufficient evidence.
The case ultimately went cold with no conclusions, causing the FBI to close the case 10 years after Gamez’s death.
The mysterious death of Border Patrol agent Jose Gamez, Jr. remains to be one of the unsolved murders along the dangerous U.S.- Mexico border and U.S. Border Patrol service.
Lugo, for his part, denied any involvement whatsoever and has spent many years attempting to convince people of his innocence. Lugo wrote a book concerning the events leading to Gamez’s death titled “The Exoneration.”
After numerous years of investigation and Lugo filing suit against the FBI and INS for $21 Million, alleging that the investigations had put pressure on him “at every turn to confess to actions and/or crimes he did not commit,” the investigation of the death of Gamez was closed in 1988. After the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District was unable to get a federal grand jury in Del Rio, Texas to indict Lugo for the death of Gamez, the FBI closed its case and dismissed it.
The mystery of what occurred on that fateful day which led to the death of U.S Border Patrol agent Jose Gamez, Jr. remains unsolved as of today, 38 years later.
What is known is that during that night in question in April 1978 according to Lugo’s comments and testimony there were violations of Border Patrol policies that took place by both agents at some point in time even opening fire of their service weapons. Another point that came into question back then was that Lugo did not immediately notify the agency of Gamez’s nonappearance until almost the end of their shift, as well.
Lugo was remanded to administrative duties and the pressures of the investigation wore him down mentally and physically. Even though the FBI and INS investigation had concluded that the evidence didn’t prove Lugo’s actions had resulted in or contributed to Gamez’s death, he resigned after two and a half years. He now lives in the Rio Grande Valley.
This April 21, 2016 marks the 38th anniversary of the night that changed the life of many people that were involved in the life of Jose Gamez, Jr. and those that were in charge of investigating what really happened on that fateful night of April 21, 1978 in Quemado, Texas.
Gamez was 31 years old at the time of his death and was originally from Laredo, Texas.
For a more detailed investigative article written on the death of Jose Paz Gamez, Jr., please go to the Texas Monthly at . http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-night-in-question/#sthash.TbXzArUe.dpuf
