Topline: Francisco Garza faces a misdemeanor after an alleged beating and trunk abduction of a friend who was later found dead beside a Bexar County road.
Published: September 22, 2026 7:04 am ET
Shawn Fletcher
Committed to the craft of journalism and am driven by my desire to inform and inspire.
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Francisco Garza
SAN ANTONIO, TX — A man arrested on a charge of failing to report a fatal abduction told investigators that armed men forced him to call his friend to a West Side home before the friend was beaten and taken away in a vehicle’s trunk.
Francisco Garza, 39, faces a Class A misdemeanor charge of failure to report a felony that resulted in death, according to court records and an arrest affidavit described by KSAT. The victim, Jaime Adolfo Rodriguez, 37, was found dead in southeast Bexar County on September 6.
Deputies responded around 9:30 a.m. to the 8000 block of New Sulphur Springs after someone reported finding a body clad only in underwear. Sheriff’s office spokesman Joshua Hamby said the remains showed decomposition and investigators believed the man had been killed elsewhere and left there.
A medical examiner identified Rodriguez. According to the affidavit, he had been shot in the upper-left chest, suffered cuts to his head and had multiple broken ribs. His death was classified as a homicide.
Rodriguez’s family told a detective they last saw him September 4, when he brought $800 to his mother and sibling. Asked by his sibling where the money came from, Rodriguez told them not to ask. The affidavit separately alleges that Rodriguez stole $7,000 from a woman who had recently been incarcerated, around the same time as that family visit.
Home security footage placed Rodriguez in a driveway in the 2100 block of Rivas Street shortly after 1 a.m. September 5. He got out of a vehicle and walked toward the rear of the property. Minutes later, according to the affidavit’s description of the footage, he fled wearing a T-shirt and underwear as two unidentified armed men pursued him.
Deputies searched the Rivas Street property September 17. A property owner asked Garza, who rented there, to speak with investigators.
Garza described Rodriguez as a friend. He told detectives he had gone across the street for a beer around 1 a.m. September 5 when three men and a woman arrived in a white SUV asking for Rodriguez. Garza said he returned to his home to speak with them, and two of the men said Rodriguez owed them money.
According to Garza’s account in the affidavit, the men took his phone and directed him to summon Rodriguez. Garza said he complied because they had guns. The detective wrote that Garza and Rodriguez arranged to meet for a drug transaction and that Garza was made to remain inside the house.
Rodriguez arrived about 10 minutes later. Garza told investigators three men punched and kicked Rodriguez while he asked them to stop. Rodriguez escaped briefly before the men caught him, put him in a vehicle’s trunk and drove away, according to the affidavit.
Garza said he left because he was frightened. He told detectives he had not expected Rodriguez to be killed, learned of his death from news coverage days later and feared getting into trouble for not reporting what happened.
Deputies arrested Garza September 17, and he was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center September 18 with bond set at $10,000. KSAT reported he remained jailed as of the afternoon of September 19. Its report did not identify the alleged attackers or provide their charging status.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Man Charged With Failing to Report Abduction Says Armed Men Forced Him to Call Victim
Francisco Garza faces a misdemeanor after an alleged beating and trunk abduction of a friend who was later found dead beside a Bexar County road.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: September 22, 2026 7:04 am ET
Francisco Garza
SAN ANTONIO, TX — A man arrested on a charge of failing to report a fatal abduction told investigators that armed men forced him to call his friend to a West Side home before the friend was beaten and taken away in a vehicle’s trunk.
Francisco Garza, 39, faces a Class A misdemeanor charge of failure to report a felony that resulted in death, according to court records and an arrest affidavit described by KSAT. The victim, Jaime Adolfo Rodriguez, 37, was found dead in southeast Bexar County on September 6.
Deputies responded around 9:30 a.m. to the 8000 block of New Sulphur Springs after someone reported finding a body clad only in underwear. Sheriff’s office spokesman Joshua Hamby said the remains showed decomposition and investigators believed the man had been killed elsewhere and left there.
A medical examiner identified Rodriguez. According to the affidavit, he had been shot in the upper-left chest, suffered cuts to his head and had multiple broken ribs. His death was classified as a homicide.
Rodriguez’s family told a detective they last saw him September 4, when he brought $800 to his mother and sibling. Asked by his sibling where the money came from, Rodriguez told them not to ask. The affidavit separately alleges that Rodriguez stole $7,000 from a woman who had recently been incarcerated, around the same time as that family visit.
Home security footage placed Rodriguez in a driveway in the 2100 block of Rivas Street shortly after 1 a.m. September 5. He got out of a vehicle and walked toward the rear of the property. Minutes later, according to the affidavit’s description of the footage, he fled wearing a T-shirt and underwear as two unidentified armed men pursued him.
Deputies searched the Rivas Street property September 17. A property owner asked Garza, who rented there, to speak with investigators.
Garza described Rodriguez as a friend. He told detectives he had gone across the street for a beer around 1 a.m. September 5 when three men and a woman arrived in a white SUV asking for Rodriguez. Garza said he returned to his home to speak with them, and two of the men said Rodriguez owed them money.
According to Garza’s account in the affidavit, the men took his phone and directed him to summon Rodriguez. Garza said he complied because they had guns. The detective wrote that Garza and Rodriguez arranged to meet for a drug transaction and that Garza was made to remain inside the house.
Rodriguez arrived about 10 minutes later. Garza told investigators three men punched and kicked Rodriguez while he asked them to stop. Rodriguez escaped briefly before the men caught him, put him in a vehicle’s trunk and drove away, according to the affidavit.
Garza said he left because he was frightened. He told detectives he had not expected Rodriguez to be killed, learned of his death from news coverage days later and feared getting into trouble for not reporting what happened.
Deputies arrested Garza September 17, and he was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center September 18 with bond set at $10,000. KSAT reported he remained jailed as of the afternoon of September 19. Its report did not identify the alleged attackers or provide their charging status.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Man Charged With Failing to Report Abduction Says Armed Men Forced Him to Call Victim
Francisco Garza faces a misdemeanor after an alleged beating and trunk abduction of a friend who was later found dead beside a Bexar County road.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: September 22, 2026 7:04 am ET
Francisco Garza
SAN ANTONIO, TX — A man arrested on a charge of failing to report a fatal abduction told investigators that armed men forced him to call his friend to a West Side home before the friend was beaten and taken away in a vehicle’s trunk.
Francisco Garza, 39, faces a Class A misdemeanor charge of failure to report a felony that resulted in death, according to court records and an arrest affidavit described by KSAT. The victim, Jaime Adolfo Rodriguez, 37, was found dead in southeast Bexar County on September 6.
Deputies responded around 9:30 a.m. to the 8000 block of New Sulphur Springs after someone reported finding a body clad only in underwear. Sheriff’s office spokesman Joshua Hamby said the remains showed decomposition and investigators believed the man had been killed elsewhere and left there.
A medical examiner identified Rodriguez. According to the affidavit, he had been shot in the upper-left chest, suffered cuts to his head and had multiple broken ribs. His death was classified as a homicide.
Rodriguez’s family told a detective they last saw him September 4, when he brought $800 to his mother and sibling. Asked by his sibling where the money came from, Rodriguez told them not to ask. The affidavit separately alleges that Rodriguez stole $7,000 from a woman who had recently been incarcerated, around the same time as that family visit.
Home security footage placed Rodriguez in a driveway in the 2100 block of Rivas Street shortly after 1 a.m. September 5. He got out of a vehicle and walked toward the rear of the property. Minutes later, according to the affidavit’s description of the footage, he fled wearing a T-shirt and underwear as two unidentified armed men pursued him.
Deputies searched the Rivas Street property September 17. A property owner asked Garza, who rented there, to speak with investigators.
Garza described Rodriguez as a friend. He told detectives he had gone across the street for a beer around 1 a.m. September 5 when three men and a woman arrived in a white SUV asking for Rodriguez. Garza said he returned to his home to speak with them, and two of the men said Rodriguez owed them money.
According to Garza’s account in the affidavit, the men took his phone and directed him to summon Rodriguez. Garza said he complied because they had guns. The detective wrote that Garza and Rodriguez arranged to meet for a drug transaction and that Garza was made to remain inside the house.
Rodriguez arrived about 10 minutes later. Garza told investigators three men punched and kicked Rodriguez while he asked them to stop. Rodriguez escaped briefly before the men caught him, put him in a vehicle’s trunk and drove away, according to the affidavit.
Garza said he left because he was frightened. He told detectives he had not expected Rodriguez to be killed, learned of his death from news coverage days later and feared getting into trouble for not reporting what happened.
Deputies arrested Garza September 17, and he was booked into the Bexar County Adult Detention Center September 18 with bond set at $10,000. KSAT reported he remained jailed as of the afternoon of September 19. Its report did not identify the alleged attackers or provide their charging status.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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