The Vanishing of Herlinda Soto: A Desert Storm Veteran's Unsolved Disappearance in El Paso

A Dedicated Public Servant and Veteran

Herlinda Ann Soto, born on March 4, 1950, was a devoted public health inspector for the El Paso City-County Health and Environmental District and a committed U.S. Army Reservist. Her service included an eight-month deployment in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. Known affectionately as "Linda," she was a mother of two and deeply involved in her community. Her disappearance on July 2, 1993, from her home in El Paso, Texas, remains one of the city's most perplexing cold cases.

The Night She Vanished

On the evening of July 2, 1993, Herlinda's ex-husband, Ulises Soto, picked up their two sons, aged 10 and 7, for a weekend visit. Later that night, around 11:00 p.m., a friend spoke with Herlinda over the phone—the last confirmed contact anyone had with her. When Ulises returned the children on July 5, he found Herlinda missing and signs of a violent struggle in her home.

A Crime Scene of Unprecedented Violence

Investigators described the scene as one of the most violent they had encountered in years. Blood was smeared across the garage floor, the hallway, and up to four feet high on the walls near the front entrance. A trail of blood led from the interior of the house through the garage to the driveway, suggesting Herlinda had been dragged. The amount of blood indicated she likely could not have survived her injuries.

The Abandoned Vehicle

Herlinda's 1989 Mercury Tracer was found abandoned on July 6 in an undeveloped industrial area on the edge of the desert, about four miles from her home. Blood matching Herlinda's was discovered in the trunk, leading investigators to believe her body had been transported in the vehicle. Despite extensive searches, her remains have never been found. ...Read More

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