Del Rio Man Arrested After Child Found Injured, Woman Held Against Will

A welfare check on the 400 block of West 8th Street unraveled into a four-count arrest Wednesday after Del Rio officers found a 5-year-old with visible facial injuries and an adult woman who told police she had been held at gunpoint for more than a day.

Officers arrived at approximately 4:36 p.m. on April 8 after a welfare concern was called in at the address. When they made contact with 24-year-old Francisco Javier Garza, he gave conflicting accounts of the child's whereabouts and at first denied the child was in the home. Officers located the 5-year-old inside regardless. The child had visible facial injuries.

While police were still on scene, a second emergency call came in reporting a disturbance at the same address involving a woman threatened with a handgun. Officers found the adult female inside the home; she told them she had been held against her will since the day before. She was transported to Val Verde Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Garza's arrest turned physical in custody when he allegedly struck an officer in the face, adding a fourth charge to the three already tied to events inside the home. He now faces unlawful restraint exposing a victim to serious bodily injury, injury to a child, assault of a family or household member impeding breath, and assault on a public servant. He was transported to the GEO Correctional Facility pending magistration.

The Del Rio Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division responded to assist. Prosecutors will weigh physical evidence, medical assessments from Val Verde Regional, and witness statements as the case moves forward.

In Texas, any neighbor, teacher, or family member who suspects a child is being harmed can call the Department of Family and Protective Services' 24-hour abuse and neglect hotline at 1-800-252-5400. For an immediate welfare check on any individual in Del Rio, contact 911 or the Del Rio Police Department directly. Anyone in Val Verde County experiencing domestic violence can also reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, available around the clock.