On March 2, 2023, 75-year-old Cruz Gonzales Cordova Sr. was found deceased in his cabin near Woodsboro, Texas, from a single gunshot wound to the head. The Refugio County Sheriff's Department, led by Sheriff Pinky Gonzales, conducted an initial investigation and ruled the death a suicide, citing evidence such as the presence of pills, alcohol, and an indentation on Cordova's trigger finger.
However, Cordova's children, Cruz Cordova Jr. and Glenda Cordova Esquivel, have expressed doubts about this conclusion. They hired a private investigator, a former homicide detective, who suggested that the scene may have been staged. Concerns were raised regarding the absence of a shell casing and the lack of gunshot residue (GSR) testing on Cordova's hands. Sheriff Gonzales acknowledged that the shell casing was not found and that GSR testing was not conducted, but maintained that the overall evidence supported a suicide ruling.
Born on May 3, 1947, in Corpus Christi, Texas, Cordova left high school during his sophomore year to join the U.S. Army, serving as a paratrooper stationed in Panama. He later worked as an engine mechanic at the Corpus Christi Army Depot before retiring. He is survived by his life partner, Margaret Perez; his children, Cruz Cordova Jr. and Glenda Esquivel; stepson, John Mikulec Jr.; siblings, Manuel Cordova, Virginia Aleman, and Chris Nunez; seven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were held at Guardian Funeral Home Chapel in Corpus Christi, with burial at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery.
As of now, the official ruling of suicide stands, but Cordova's family continues to seek further investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, hoping to find closure and answers to their lingering questions.
