A U.S. Border Patrol agent is behind bars in Webb County, Texas, charged with murder in the stabbing death of his wife. Thirty-year-old Abel Garza was taken into custody after Laredo police responded to a domestic disturbance call just before 3 a.m. Wednesday in the south side of the city. A police drone spotted a car leaving the area, and when officers stopped it, they found 28-year-old Mayra Alejandra Landeros in the back floorboard with critical stab wounds. She died at the hospital.
Garza faces the murder charge along with two counts each of endangering a child and abandoning a child, all second-degree felonies. Two children were found safe at the home. Bond is set at $1 million, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed Garza is an off-duty Laredo Sector agent. The agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an internal review while the Laredo Police Department works with the District Attorney’s Office on the case. The death is Laredo’s sixth homicide of 2026.
The story raises familiar questions about domestic violence, workplace accountability, and how quickly a routine disturbance call can turn deadly. Investigators have released limited details beyond the timeline, and more information is expected as the case moves through the courts.
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