Texas Police Officer Arrested in Mexico for Killing Three in Custody Dispute
Chad Eberle, 35, a reserve officer from Santa Anna, Texas, was arrested at the Mexican border on charges of femicide and homicide after a deadly shooting in Saltillo.
Texas Officer Held in Mexico Over Triple Killing Linked to Child Custody Row
A Texas reserve police officer has been arrested in Mexico on charges of killing three people and critically wounding the mother of his child, theguardian.com reports. The shooting took place in July in Saltillo, Mexico, and investigators say it stemmed from a dispute over custody of a three-year-old boy.
Chad Eberle, 35, was taken into custody at the international bridge at Piedras Negras — across from Eagle Pass — as he attempted to cross back into Texas. The Coahuila attorney general's office said he was arrested on a warrant charging him with femicide and qualified homicide. Under Mexican law, femicide refers to the intentional killing of a woman or girl because of her gender.
According to Mexican newspaper La Razon de Mexico, the attack occurred after an argument over Eberle allegedly not having permission to take his three-year-old son. Two women and one man were killed. The victims were identified by their first names and ages: Ana Laura, 44; Laura Jaquelín, 22; and Emanuel, 44. The child's 26-year-old mother was shot in the head and remained in critical condition, officials said.
Authorities launched a manhunt after Eberle left the residence with his son in a gray Chevrolet Silverado, tracking the vehicle toward the Texas border before intercepting him. The three-year-old was unharmed and was later placed in the care of Coahuila's child welfare agency.
Coahuila attorney general Federico Fernández confirmed on social media that Eberle had been admitted to the Saltillo men's penitentiary and placed at the disposal of the judicial authority. Fernández also stated that the child was in Saltillo "under the custody and care of the prosecutor's office for boys, girls and the family (Pronnif), in order to guarantee the comprehensive protection of his rights."
The San Antonio Express identified Eberle as a police officer in the central Texas town of Santa Anna. He had previously worked as a deputy constable with Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, and as a police officer for the Northside Independent School District. He also held law enforcement positions in several other Texas communities, including Somerset, Marble Falls, Gregory, Lockney and Bangs. A 2022 Facebook post from the Lockney police department described him as an army veteran.
Santa Anna city officials, in a statement obtained by Texas news outlet Coleman Today, described Eberle as "one of our reserve officers" who "was on a personal leave of absence until December." The statement noted he was an unpaid reserve officer hired in November 2025 who worked one weekend per month. The Santa Anna Police Department said it had been in contact with the US consulate in Mexico and the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, adding that no further public comment would be made due to the ongoing investigation.
Source: Google News JM — Crime