A 66-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a pregnant woman whose body was found in a Texas graveyard 20 years ago, authorities announced.
Valerie Laguna, 26, was nine months pregnant when she died in 2005, the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. She was last seen at a private residence in the early hours of July 19, the Texas Department of Public Safety reported. Later that day, her body was discovered at the Cristo Rey Cemetery in Cotulla, Texas. Officials said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.
The case went cold but remained a priority for the county over the years, the sheriff’s office said. Multiple administrations worked tirelessly, with department leaders determined “to not let the case go cold.” In 2018, the Texas Department of Public Safety offered a reward of up to $6,000 for information leading to an arrest.
The sheriff’s office did not release many details of the investigation because the case is still pending, but said “advanced forensic investigators” helped connect a suspect to the crime. The Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Lab, the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification, and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office all assisted in the investigation.
The suspect, identified as Saul Gonzalez, was arrested without incident in Cotulla, Texas. He was indicted by a La Salle County grand jury on Friday and faces capital murder charges. Gonzalez is being held on a $1 million bond, the sheriff’s office said.
“For twenty years, this community has carried the memory of a terrible loss,” said Sheriff Hector Ramirez. “This arrest is an important step toward justice. More importantly, it is a moment for healing—for the victim’s family, who have waited so long, and for a community that has never forgotten.”
“This case has always been about more than just solving a crime,” Ramirez added. “It has been about giving a voice to the victim, honoring her memory, and providing hope to her family. Nothing can erase the pain of the past, but we hope this step brings comfort as we move into the prosecution phase.”
