A prominent local businessman appointed to the Texas Facilities Commission by the state’s high-profile Governor Greg Abbott was shot dead in McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley over the weekend, according to law enforcement.
Eddy Betancourt, 61, who lived in Mission, was found by police officers responding to a 911 call lying unresponsive on the floor of a property on the 800 block of North Ware Road in the border city on Saturday afternoon.
“Responding officers confirmed the victim was ‘not responsive,’ had no pulse, and appeared to be injured by gunshot,” the McAllen Police Department said in a statement.
Police said Betancourt’s death is being investigated as a homicide and that they have identified Reynaldo Mata-Rios, 60, as a suspect.
A warrant charging Mata-Rios with murder, a first-degree felony, was issued by the McAllen Municipal Court Sunday but has, as yet, not been executed to give the suspect an opportunity to turn himself in.
“The suspect indicated his intent to surrender to the McAllen Police Department for this charge but he has not done so to date,” according to a statement issued by the department Monday.
Mata-Rios’s last known address was in Pharr. He is described as 6 feet tall, weighing approximately 195 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no motive for Betancourt’s killing has yet been revealed, nor have officers specified what type of firearm was used. The victim reportedly maintained an office on the same strip of buildings where his body was found.
Betancourt was president of R&B General Construction Co. Inc., co-owner and president of National Tire and Wheel LLC, and a general retail partner manager for E2H Investment.
He also served on the Hidalgo County Appraisal District Board of Directors and was a member of both the McAllen Board of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.
He was appointed by Abbott to the Facilities Commission, which oversees the construction, maintenance and leasing of state-owned buildings, in 2020 and was reappointed in 2023 for a term that had been due to end in 2029.
Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez paid tribute to Betancourt in a Facebook post that read: “On behalf of Hidalgo County, we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and many friends of Eddy Betancourt.
“Eddy was a tireless advocate for our community. His leadership, generosity, and passion for service made a lasting impact on our county. He will be remembered with great respect and gratitude.”
Mission city councilman Ruben Plata, who knew Betancourt when they were business students together at the University of Texas-Pan American (now UT Rio Grande Valley) in the 1980s, has meanwhile told ABC News’s local affiliate: “People are shocked, people are very, very surprised and sad about it. May he rest in peace.
“He was a hard-working gentleman, a good businessman, I have nothing but positive things to say about Eddy.”
