A senior aide to Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX) died in September after a fire at her home in Uvalde, Texas, while multiple sources have alleged the two were involved in a romantic relationship.
Regina Aviles, 35, sustained fatal injuries on Sept. 13 when she became engulfed in flames at her residence, located approximately two hours west of San Antonio.
She was transported to a San Antonio hospital but died the following day, Resist the Mainstream previously reported.
Aviles had worked as Gonzales’s regional district director in Uvalde since joining his staff on November 21, 2021.
She was married with an eight-year-old son, though she had separated from her husband.
Multiple anonymous sources told the Daily Mail that Aviles and the married congressman had become romantically involved after she joined his team.
One source indicated the relationship continued “for some time.”
Two additional separate sources also confirmed the alleged relationship to the publication.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, Gonzales’s spokesman declined to deny the affair despite being given multiple opportunities to do so.
Sources have said that Aviles and her husband Adrian Aviles had separated earlier this year after he learned of the alleged affair. However, the couple continued to co-parent their young son.
Adrian Aviles, who operates a video surveillance business, did not respond to requests for comment.
Sources reported that Adrian Aviles had installed security cameras at the home the couple once shared.
The footage from these devices allegedly captured Regina Aviles pouring gasoline on herself on the day of the incident.
The Uvalde Police Department confirmed to the Daily Mail that video evidence has been submitted to the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab for examination.
Regina Aviles’s mother, Nora Gonzales, told the San Antonio Express News that her daughter’s final words were, “I don’t want to die.”
The mother characterized the incident as a tragic accident, though the specific timing of when she spoke with her daughter remains unclear.
Gonzales, 43, is a Republican representing a sprawling district extending from San Antonio through Uvalde to El Paso, encompassing significant portions of the US-Mexico border.
As his regional director, Aviles was regularly seen accompanying him, including during Elon Musk’s widely publicized border tour in September 2023.
Photographs from Musk’s visit to Eagle Pass, then considered the center of the border crisis, show Aviles standing near both the congressman and the tech billionaire as they observed areas where thousands of migrants had turned themselves in to US Border Patrol.
A spokesman for Gonzales released a statement describing Aviles as “a kind soul who had a lasting impact on her community, which she continued to serve until her untimely death.”
The statement continued: “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.”
The congressman, who is a father of six, did not attend Aviles’s funeral service held on September 25, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Investigators have not yet determined an official cause of death.
The medical examiner informed the Daily Mail that autopsy results are still pending, although authorities believe the death resulted from self-immolation.
The Uvalde Police Department issued a statement saying: “Regina Santos-Aviles was alone in her backyard when the fire began, which ultimately caused significant injuries and required her transport to the emergency room.”
“At this stage of the investigation, we do not have any information to suggest that anyone else was involved.”
In the days following her death, reporters were unexpectedly barred from an event where Gonzales was scheduled to appear.
KSAT-TV reported that he had been expected to attend the opening of a research facility in San Antonio on Sept. 22 and take questions from the media, but organizers subsequently blocked press access.
Gonzales’s office issued a statement to media outlets upon request but has not addressed his staffer’s death on his active social media accounts.
The statement read: “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.”
