Inspector Richard Mack Latham, a 50-year-old male of unspecified ethnicity, was tragically shot and killed on January 27, 1984, in Del Rio, Texas. Latham, who served as a United States Customs Inspector, was abducted from the Del Rio Port of Entry after discovering stolen jewelry in a van that had crossed the border from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. The four men involved in the jewelry robbery pulled out weapons and kidnapped Latham.
Latham's body was found the next day in a ditch about 200 yards off Highway 277, north of Eagle Pass, Maverick County. He was handcuffed and had been murdered with his own service weapon, a .357 magnum pistol. It was determined that Latham was executed with a shot to his back. Two of the kidnappers hired a taxi to drive them from Eagle Pass to Presidio, but state troopers stopped the taxi near Dryden, Terrell County, about 140 miles from Eagle Pass. One of the men surrendered, while the other committed suicide by shooting himself with Latham's service weapon.
The remaining two suspects were later arrested in Mexico and charged along with the man who had surrendered. The man who shot Latham was sentenced to life in prison, while the other two received 23-year sentences. Latham was buried in the Westlawn Cemetery in Del Rio.
The case remains a poignant memory for the community, with Latham's family and friends continuing to seek justice. The man convicted of killing Latham, Raphael Calderon-Velasquez, was sentenced to life in prison but was later released from federal custody, causing further anguish for those affected by the crime.
Latham's grandfather, Inspector James Wallen, was also shot and killed near the same port of entry on March 6, 1923, adding a tragic family legacy to the story.
