The city of Uvalde, Texas gained national prominence just over three years ago when a mass shooter claimed the lives of two teachers and 19 elementary school students.

Yet Uvalde saw another tragedy this past weekend as police investigate the burning death of a congressional staff member.  

Staffer's mother found daughter suffering from burns

According to the San Antonio Express-News, the body of Regina Santos-Aviles was on fire when emergency services personnel encountered her on Saturday evening.

The 35-year-old, who served as regional district director for Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales since 2021, appears to have died at her home.

Nora Ann Gonzales is Santos-Aviles’ mother, and she described being on the phone with her daughter shortly before rushing to the victim's home.

"It was an accident," told the newspaper before stating that Santos-Aviles had suffered burns and wished to see her  8-year-old son.

"The last thing she said is, 'I don’t want to die,'" the grieving mother recalled. "And they told her, ‘We will do our best to make sure we get you taken care of."

Family is cooperating with investigators

Mario Rangel serves as chief of the Uvalde Volunteer Fire Department, and he was quoted as saying that firefighters arrived to find "a fire behind the residence that had been put out with a fire extinguisher."

"At the same time, EMS personnel were attending to a female who had suffered burns. She was transported by EMS and, at some point, flown to a San Antonio hospital," he explained.

Meanwhile, the Daily Caller reported that Santos-Aviles's death is being investigated by the Uvalde Police Department (UPD) as well as the Texas Rangers.

"We are working closely with the victim’s family, who are fully cooperating with our investigators during this difficult time," UPD Chief Homer Delgado was quoted as saying in an official statement on Monday.

Police chief says there is currently "no indication of foul play"

"At this point, there is no indication of foul play. As is our standard procedure, all unattended deaths are investigated,” he said.

BREAKING- Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, died Sunday after incident at her home the previous night, records show

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— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews) September 17, 2025

"In times of loss, our greatest duty is to stand together, support one another, and honor the memory of those we have lost," the law enforcement official went on to add.

For his part, Gonzales put up a social media post which referenced 2 Thessalonians 3:16, writing, "Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you."