DALLAS — Nearly three days after it started, the search for Texas Army National Guard Specialist Bishop E. Evans of Arlington hasn’t stopped.
The Texas Army National Guard says Evans disappeared Friday morning when he dove into the Rio Grande to save two migrants struggling in the water.
“They both went under the water and didn’t come back up,” State Rep. Eddie Morales (D – Eagle Pass) said. “This is actually one of the most pressing concerns that I had.”
As the Eagle Pass state representative, Morales said he knows the search area well. He also said he wants more funding for sheriff’s departments to patrol the border, not the Texas Army National Guard. Evans was deployed as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star which has sent thousands of troops to the river.
Evans’ radio, cell phone and body armor were all found on land, meaning he had taken them off before jumping in.
His family told WFAA over the phone that Evans is a carefree 22-year-old man with a good heart who went to Mansfield High School before joining the military in 2019. He was assigned to the 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment in New Braunfels and was also a member of Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait during the fall of 2020.
The Texas Army National Guard said, “his dedication, talents, and tactical prowess led his leadership to regularly assign him to operations in Iraq in support of Special Operations Forces for short periods of time, while then rotating back into Kuwait.”
His family was in Eagle Pass Sunday to meet the Texas Rangers who are leading the investigation. They learned the search has expanded downriver, but with strong currents, it’s tough for dive teams to go into the water. Search and rescue teams in the area are also using helicopters and boats to assist.
“It’s really sad. It’s really, really sad to see this,” Rosy Cantu, a Maverick County Commissioner, said. “It’s been shocking for all the people from Maverick County. They’re seeing this and we’re – you know everybody’s waiting to see what’s going to happen.”
The search began Friday morning. Sunday night, officials said the efforts and the hope haven’t faded.