Pregnant Woman Was Found Dead in a Texas Cemetery in 2005. Now 20 Years Later Police Have a Suspect By Nicole Acosta

Just over two decades after a pregnant woman was found dead in a Texas cemetery, a suspect has been charged in connection with the killing.

On Friday, Aug. 29, Saul Gonzalez, 66, of San Antonio, was indicted by a grand jury on a capital murder charge related to the 2005 killing of 26-year-old Valerie Laguna, who was eight months pregnant at the time, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced in a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

Laguna was last seen alive on the morning of July 19, 2005, and her body was found later that evening at the Cristo Rey Cemetery in Cotulla. Laguna appeared to have been sexually assaulted, beaten, and strangled, authorities said.  

Laguna’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, according to the TDPS, and her unborn baby also died.

Despite several witness interviews and DNA samples taken from multiple individuals, the case went cold. Officials later issued a $6,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Gonzalez was identified as a suspect when his DNA was allegedly linked to “evidentiary items” that had previously been sent for testing to BODE Technology, a private forensics company, in 2020, per the TDPS.

According to a Facebook post from the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office, Gonzalez was arrested “without incident” in Cotulla. He has been booked into the La Salle County Jail on a $1 million bond. It’s unclear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney to speak on his behalf.

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“For twenty years, this community has carried the memory of a terrible loss,” Sheriff Hector Ramirez said in the post. “This arrest represents a significant step toward justice. More importantly, it represents a moment for healing—for the victim’s family, who have waited so long, and for a community that has never forgotten.”

Sheriff Ramirez noted that while details of the case remain limited due to the pending prosecution, the “long-awaited breakthrough is the result of tireless work spanning multiple administrations.”

“This case has always been about more than just solving a crime,” the sheriff added. “It has been about giving a voice to the victim, honoring her memory, and providing hope to her family. We know that nothing can erase the pain of the past, but we pray that this step forward brings comfort as we now move into the prosecution phase.”