Arrest Made in 20-Year-Old Cold Case Homicide

🔎 Arrest Made in 20-Year-Old Cold Case Homicide

After nearly two decades, an arrest has been made in the 2005 murder of Valerie Laguna, a young woman who was nine months pregnant when her body was discovered at Cristo Rey Cemetery in Cotulla, Texas.

On August 29, 2025, investigators announced that Saul Gonzalez, 66, of Cotulla, TX, has been indicted and arrested for Capital Murder in connection with Laguna’s death.

This breakthrough comes after 20 years of tireless investigative work by the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office, multiple administrations, and the Texas Rangers. Forensic advancements played a critical role, including support from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office using the M-Vac forensic DNA collection system, and DNA analysis by BODE Technology and the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification.

Sheriff Hector Ramirez emphasized that this case has always been about more than solving a crime—it’s about honoring Valerie Laguna’s memory, giving a voice to the victim, and bringing long-awaited hope and healing to her family and the community.

👮‍♂️ Gonzalez has been booked into the La Salle County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond.

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All Things Crime is a new, comprehensive video series that will explore every aspect of crime and the ensuing investigation, one video interview at a time. The host, Jared Bradley, is the President of M-Vac Systems, which is a wet-vacuum based forensic DNA collection system, and has experience traveling the world training all levels of law enforcement and crime lab DNA analysts in using the M-Vac to help solve crime. Along the way he has met people from all walks of life and experience in investigating crimes, so is putting that knowledge to use in another way by sharing it in these videos.

If you are interested in more videos about the M-Vac, DNA and investigations, also check out the M-Vac's channel https://www.youtube.com/@MVacSystemsDNACollection

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