On April 16, 1968, Juan Manuel Arellano, a 29-year-old Hispanic man, along with his family, was traveling from Mexico to San Angelo, Texas, to visit relatives. Their car broke down near Alta Loma, Edwards County, between Sonora and Del Rio, due to a flat tire. While attempting to fix the tire, the family encountered a tragic fate.
The Arellano family consisted of Juan Manuel Arellano, his wife Monica Lopez Arellano , his sister Rosa Elia Santos Arellano , and their three children:
Manuel Jr. , Leticia , and Eduardo . After the car broke down a second time, five members of the family were brutally murdered in rural Edwards County. Their bodies were discovered along a two-to-three mile stretch of U.S. Highway 277. The victims had been shot, stabbed, and beaten, with Rosa also having been sexually assaulted. Leticia died at the hospital two days later, and the sole survivor was Manuel Arellano Jr., who was shot in the back of the head and stabbed.
A massive manhunt was organized immediately after the discovery of the bodies. Witnesses reported seeing the family in the company of a large Anglo man dressed in elaborate cowboy clothes at a local service station in Sonora. The suspect was described as over 6 feet tall, weighing about 200 pounds, with sandy hair, light eyebrows, and pockmarks or a rash on his neck. Despite the extensive search and multiple leads over the years, the case remains unsolved.
The Texas Rangers continue to investigate this case, and Texas Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for any information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible. The Arellano family's tragic end has left a lasting impact on the community, and efforts to solve the case persist.
This unsolved mass murder remains one of the most heinous crimes in Texas history, and the quest for justice continues.
