EAGLE PASS, Texas — Searchers have recovered the body of a Texas National Guard soldier who jumped into the Rio Grande to save two migrants who appeared to be drowning early Friday.
The body of Texas Army National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans was pulled from the river, though no other details were available, the office of Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, told the Washington Examiner. The Texas Military Department and Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed the finding shortly after.
“We are devastated by the loss of a member of our Guard family,” said Maj. Gen. Tom Suelzer, adjutant general for Texas, in a statement. “We recognize the selflessness of this heroic Soldier who put his life above others in service to our state and national security. The Texas Military Department sends our deepest condolences to the family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.”
The Border Patrol chief for the Del Rio region of Texas, which encompasses Eagle Pass, released photos of Evans’s body being carried out and honored by federal, state, and local law enforcement as well as the military.
Evans, a field artilleryman from Arlington who joined the National Guard in May 2019, had been missing for three days. The 22-year-old had been deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border under Abbott’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star, and was the first on-duty death among the guard.
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Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans is a hero who risked his life in service to Texas & America.
Law enforcement & rescue teams continue a relentless search for him.
Join us in prayer for a successful recovery.
Updates will be provided when they become available. pic.twitter.com/nULof4gcwl
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 24, 2022
“We are heartbroken to learn of the death of SPC Bishop E. Evans who was reported missing in Eagle Pass on Friday,” Abbott said in a statement. “Our National Guard soldiers risk their lives every day to serve and protect others and we are eternally grateful for the way SPC Evans heroically served his state and country. I thank the members of the Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Border Patrol, and local law enforcement for working around the clock to locate this soldier.”
Evans went missing around 8:30 a.m. local time Friday while assigned to a northern part of Eagle Pass. Evans had observed a group of people crossing from the Mexican shore through the turbulent water when two people in the group appeared to be drowning.
The soldier took off his walkie-talkie and body armor and ran into the water, Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber told the Washington Examiner on Friday.
“The National Guardsman jumped into the river and tried to rescue, and he never came out,” Schmerber said.
The Texas Military Department said Friday that it was working with the Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The search was suspended Friday evening due to the strength of the river but was continued Saturday.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Eagle Pass, a town of 29,000 residents located in south-central Texas, has become the epicenter of the border crisis and has seen 1,000 people being taken into custody daily as a result of illegally crossing the Rio Grande, which separates both countries.
