Tony Gonzales had affair with aide who set herself on fire, ex-staffer says

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales engaged in a romantic relationship with an aide who died last year by setting herself on fire outside her Uvalde home, according to a text message and people close to the aide and her family.

A former staffer in Gonzales' district office who worked closely with the aide, Regina Ann "Regi" Santos-Aviles, said she told him they had an affair in 2024, and that she spiraled into a depression after her husband discovered the relationship and Gonzales abruptly cut her off. He also shared with the San Antonio Express-News a screenshot of a text message from Santos-Aviles in which she acknowledged having an “affair with our boss.”

READ MORE: Rep. Tony Gonzales aide who died fiery death set herself ablaze

The staffer, who asked not to be named, citing a fear of retaliation, faulted Gonzales' office for failing to intervene, saying he warned the congressman's district director months before Santos-Aviles' death that he was concerned about her well-being. He described her as his “best friend” and said their families knew each other.

Gonzales, a Republican representing Texas' 23rd Congressional District, is currently seeking reelection in a contested primary. He and his staff did not respond to a list of detailed questions submitted by the Express-News.

A lawyer for Santos-Aviles' husband said her romantic relationship with the congressman was an open secret, and that he does not believe it played a role in her death. Authorities have said there was no evidence of foul play in Santos-Aviles’ death. Both she and Gonzales were married to other people at the time of the alleged affair.

Santos-Aviles, 35, was Gonzales’ regional district director in Uvalde and the mother of an 8-year-old boy. She died Sept. 14, 2025.

The former staffer, 24, contemplated going public about the affair as early as November, but was afraid he would lose his job, he said.

He said this week that he stopped coming to work for months after Santos-Aviles’ suicide and felt he could no longer "sell (Gonzales') message and his ideals." He resigned last month, moved to Los Angeles and now works for two local Democratic campaigns.

He said he had not been paid or promised any compensation by any of Gonzales’ primary opponents. 

The ex-staffer said he was frustrated that police never contacted him during their investigation into Santos-Aviles’ death.

‘Common knowledge’

The former staffer said the relationship became known to some staff members during the 2024 election cycle. He said Gonzales stayed at the ex-staffer’s family's rental cabin in Concan, near Uvalde, during the primary campaign, and that on two occasions in May 2024, Gonzales and Santos-Aviles went there together and stayed for one to two hours. 

He said Santos-Aviles called him crying and distraught two weeks later to say her husband, Adrian Aviles, had discovered text messages that revealed her relationship with Gonzales. She told the staffer they had been having an affair. It was May 29, the day after Gonzales narrowly won a GOP primary runoff election against Brandon Herrera. He said Aviles later texted a group of Gonzales' legislative district staffers to expose the relationship.

Bobby Barrera, Aviles’ attorney, confirmed that the affair "was not a secret among the staff.”

“It's common knowledge,” he said in an interview. “The staff was clearly aware this event was occurring."

Barrera said Aviles has been worried about commenting because of how it could affect the couple's young son. 

"To him, this is personal. To everybody else, it's political," Barrera said of Aviles. "That's his son's mother, and nobody seems to care. They just want to burn Tony."

Asked whether the alleged relationship had anything to do with Santos-Aviles' death, Barrera said, "I don't think so."

For months, the congressman has dodged questions about his relationship with Santos-Aviles. He briefly broke his silence in November during an on-stage interview at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. Asked about “the circumstances that may have led to her death,” Gonzales said the “rumors are completely untruthful.” 

"People throwing rocks at me, saying I'm doing nasty things — I totally get that. But the rumors are completely untruthful," he said, calling Santos-Aviles’ death a "very tragic situation."

The British tabloid Daily Mail and Current Revolt, a right-leaning online publication, previously reported on rumors of an affair. Neither report cited documentary evidence.

A spokesman for Gonzales was quoted in the Daily Mail saying, “To see political bottom feeders distort the circumstances around her passing is truly sickening. Tony Gonzales remains laser-focused on delivering historic achievements for Texas and condemns any attempts to misuse this tragedy.”

In a text thread that the former staffer shared with the Express-News, Santos-Aviles told him, "I had (sic) affair with our boss and I'm fine. You will be fine."

The thread, which bore Santos-Aviles' name and image, was timestamped April 27, 2025. The Express-News verified the messages were sent from a phone number that belonged to Santos-Aviles.

The former staffer said Santos-Aviles had been attempting to reassure him he wouldn’t be fired for using office resources for an unsanctioned investigation.

Burden to bear

According to the former staffer, operations in Gonzales’ two-person Uvalde regional office shifted after Aviles texted the staff about the affair. Gonzales and his district director, Jalen Falcon, canceled meetings with local organizations that had been arranged by Santos-Aviles and the former staffer. He said neither he nor Santos-Aviles accompanied Gonzales on any Uvalde visits after that point, marking a significant change. 

The former staffer said Santos-Aviles’ distress intensified in the months before her death and that she told him she went on antidepressants in the summer of 2025. 

“She talked about Tony every day,” he said. "She went from the number one employee in the office to nothing.”

The former staffer also said he alerted Falcon in June that he was aware of the affair and concerned for Santos-Aviles' well-being. At that point, he was completing most of her work, and she was absent at least one day a week, he said.

Falcon did not respond to a request for comment.

The ex-staffer said that in August 2025 — roughly one month before her death — she attempted suicide and that police were called to her home. The Uvalde Police Department has so far refused the Express-News' request for records of past emergency calls to Santos-Aviles’ home, and the paper has not independently confirmed the August 2025 incident. 

One month later, Santos-Aviles poured gasoline over herself and was engulfed in flames, authorities said. She was transported to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where she died the next day. Police said home surveillance video showed she was alone when the fire began. In November, the Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled her death a suicide by self-immolation.

‘A painful chapter’

The former staffer said he was in touch recently with Herrera, one of Gonzales' primary challengers, about speculation surrounding the affair. Gonzales, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, faces Herrera, Francisco "Quico" Canseco and Keith Barton in the March 3 primary. Four candidates are competing for the Democratic nomination.

READ MORE: Trump throws support behind Tony Gonzales in GOP rematch against Brandon Herrera 

Over the weekend, Trump confidante and right-wing influencer Laura Loomer said in a post on X that a “career ending” report on Gonzales’ alleged affair would be published soon. It was unclear what she was referring to. The Express-News had no contact with Loomer and obtained no information from her for this article.

Herrera has sought to use rumors of the affair against his opponent. Responding to Loomer’s post on Sunday, he wrote, “I am glad the truth is finally coming to light."

Santos-Aviles' funeral was held Sept. 25 at First United Methodist Church in Uvalde.

Aviles delivered an emotional eulogy, describing Santos-Aviles as a devoted mother, his soulmate, best friend, and "the love of my life."

The couple had been together for 21 years and married for seven. At the time of Santos-Aviles' death, they had been separated for a couple of months and were sharing parenting responsibilities for their 8-year-old son.

"I know marriages have their seasons. Relationships have their seasons. There are good times, and there are bad times. Estrangement is a painful chapter in life," he said. "I've come to believe that love, even when complicated, is endless."

Gonzales did not attend the funeral.

If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK  to 741741.