Inset: Abel Garza (Webb County Sheriff's Office). Background: The area near where Garza allegedly stabbed his wife to death in Laredo, Texas (Google Maps).
A federal immigration agent in Texas is behind bars after fatally stabbing his wife and then trying to drive off with her while leaving their children at home, Lone Star State authorities say.
Abel Garza, 30, stands accused of one count of murder over the death of 28-year-old Mayra Alejandra Landeros, according to the Laredo Police Department. The defendant is also facing two counts each of child endangerment and child abandonment, as well as one count each of aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, interfering with an emergency request for assistance, and a protective order violation, Webb County Sheriff's Office records show.
The underlying incident occurred in the early morning hours Wednesday, Oct. 28, at a residence on Texana Street in Laredo, a large city located along the southern border with Mexico.
Officers arrived in response to a man knocking on doors asking several neighbors for help, the chief of police explained, according to a report by Laredo-based NBC and ABC affiliate KGNS.
As officers arrived at the home, however, a police drone spotted a car leaving the area, according to law enforcement.
Officers pulled the car over and found Landeros in the backseat on the floor, suffering from multiple stab wounds, police said.
The woman was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she later died from her injuries, according to law enforcement.
The police chief said the circumstances surrounding the fatal stabbing were unclear but noted the case was being investigated as domestic violence, according to the Laredo Morning Tribune.
Back at the couple's home, officers found two children and determined they were safe, police said.
On Wednesday afternoon, an official with U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed Garza is a Laredo Sector Border Patrol agent who was off duty at the time. The agency's office of professional responsibility is currently reviewing the charges against the defendant, the official said.
In January, the defendant was arrested for allegedly pointing a gun at a woman during a domestic disturbance that occurred on the same street where Landeros was allegedly fatally stabbed, the Tribune reported.
Garza is currently being detained in the Webb County Jail on $1.5 million bond.