Man found dead along expressway in Mercedes

MERCEDES — Family members of a man found dead Thursday morning beside a highway frontage road gathered in the living room of their La Feria home later that day as they tried to make sense of the death.

A mowing crew with the Texas Department of Transportation found 35-year-old Ruben Villanueva about 11 a.m. along the Expressway 83 frontage road near Mile 2 West, Mercedes Police Chief Olga Maldonado said. Investigators believe the man’s body had been there at least a day.

“We just want answers,” his sister Sally Villanueva said.

Luis Villanueva Jr. said his brother had been missing since Sunday, which was unusual for a “family man” not known to disappear like that.

“It wasn’t like him,” Luis Villanueva said.

Investigators are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death, Maldonado said. Investigators found no immediate evidence of trauma on the man’s body.

But Luis Villanueva said police told him his brother fell off the overpass on the north side of the expressway.

Ruben Villanueva’s truck was found abandoned, the brother said. He retrieved the vehicle from the impound lot and took it to a mechanic, who found that one of the engine belts was broken.

“Why did he walk across to where they found him instead of walking (south of the expressway toward Mercedes)?” Luis Villanueva said.

Relatives said Ruben Villanueva had been in a fight two months ago with another family member. The altercation left him in critical condition with a stab wound.

He leaves behind five children — Allison-Sky, Audrey, Terrence, Robin and Raven — and three siblings: Luis, Sally and Nelly.

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Corey Ryan is a reporter for the Valley Morning Star in Harlingen. Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.