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Osvaldo Rodriguez
After Mont Belvieu police announced a man as a suspect in the murder of his estranged wife, officers near the Texas-Mexico border found the man dead after he was hit by a truck on Highway 77 in Harlingen.
Mont Belvieu Police Chief Jimmy Ellison announced that Osvaldo Rodriguez, the suspect wanted in connection to the June 22 murder of his estranged wife, Magdalena “Maggie” Rodriguez in Mont Belvieu, has been confirmed to be deceased in Harlingen. Chief Ellison has notified both families.
Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in Harlingen a fatal auto-pedestrian crash occurred on the North 77 Expressway, in which a male pedestrian with no identification on him was struck and killed by a passing van shortly after he stepped out of a vehicle parked on the shoulder. Harlingen PD had been working to identify the unknown deceased subject, but had been unsuccessful until a fingerprint comparison determined him to possibly be Rodriguez, whose murder warrant had been uploaded by MBPD into the Texas and National Crime Information Centers.
Harlingen police contacted MBPD late Monday and through cooperative efforts, both agencies were able to positively identify the Harlingen fatality as MBPD fugitive Rodriguez.
As previously released last week, within a few hours of the homicide that occurred at 6:40 a.m. Thursday morning, MBPD had determined Rodriguez to be in Beaumont. MBPD then actively worked with BPD in searching for him in the area near College Street and I-10 where he was last seen. While searching that area, investigators were able to locate and recover the vehicle used by Rodriguez, but were unable to ascertain any further information as to his whereabouts or destination. MBPD’s investigation remained active at that point, culminating with Monday evening's information from Harlingen police.
MBPD will continue to work certain aspects of the homicide investigation and will assist Harlingen police as needed pertaining to their auto-pedestrian crash investigation. Questions related to the Harlingen crash investigation should be directed to Harlingen Police Department Sergeant Larry Moore at (956) 367-5170 or email at lmoore@harlingenpolice.com
Mont Belvieu PD recognizes that this news is difficult in many ways for both families; it is our hope that it will begin the healing process as well as bring some peace of mind to the community. We are grateful that our community will continue to surround both families with care and compassion in their losses.