TEMPLE, Texas — Patricia "Patti" Aguillon's family is still searching for answers regarding her brutal murder since Aug. 14, 2014 -- the day a man discovered her body on the side of a rural road in Bell County.
Aguillon, who is from Temple, would've been 55 this year -- March 17 to be exact. Those who knew her described the wife, mother of three and grandmother of six, as nice, polite and respectful, Bell County Sheriff's Department Investigator Corey Powell told 6 News.
Aguillon's sister Nancy Najera told 6 News that Aguillon loved her friends, family and life itself.
"Patricia was a defender for her loved ones," Najera wrote to 6 News. "She was serious and tough when she had to be, but on the other hand, Patricia loved having fun making people laugh. She was adventurous, she just liked to have fun."
Now, a decade later, the mystery surrounding her murder remains unsolved.
"It's been 10 years you know. If you have that information, let us know," Powell said. "That one little piece of information you may help us down the road to get to bring justice."
Deadly discovery
Powell recalls being employed with the Temple Police Department at the time Aguillon was murdered. It happened on an early Thursday morning on Aug. 14, 2014. Around 7:20 a.m., a Bell County man was on his way to work -- driving down FM 2601 near Moody -- when he made the gruesome discovery.
"[He] saw her body along the way in the grassy area there next to the road," Powell described.
Investigators discovered Aguillon was shot point blank in the head. By the looks of it, Powell said her killer murdered her at that location less than 12 hours before the man found her body.
"Everything indicates that she was murdered there on the side of the road," Powell said. "... [Her] body position... being found on scene... would indicate that she was killed there. Doesn't mean some other criminal act wasn't being committed to get her there."
Investigators found a shell casing near her body. When they ran it through a national system, authorities didn't get any "hits" linking it back to a murder weapon, he added. The casing barely had any DNA on it, ruling out the potential for forensic evidence in this case, Powell said.
With little to work with from the crime scene, Aguillon's case went cold.
Najera told 6 News Aguillon was in a "bad place of life when she passed, but she was fighting to get her life right... just for it to be taken away."
Najera said Aguillon left behind three sons and five grandchildren.
Person of interest
Though Aguillon's case doesn't have a murder suspect, Powell said they have a person of interest who is already behind bars.
"Now it's just following up on leads with him," Powell said.
The man is from Temple and a known member of a local gang, Powell described. He added that the man is currently serving time for a separate, violent offense.
Though the man remains behind bars and poses no threat to the public, Powell said "there is a time clock" when it comes to this investigation because of how he is eligible for parole.
"That's the thing, it's not just about making an arrest," Powell said. "It's about getting it to court, getting a jury to hear the evidence."
Powell didn't name the man either because he is not an official suspect and wasn't officially charged with Aguillon's murder.
However, he said his team needs a little more information from the public or any witnesses that could help build a case and allow them to present it to the Bell County district attorney.
"We don't [even know] the car or the vehicle taking Patti there, is an unknown to us," he said as an example of information investigators are looking for. "... So it's then turned to people with knowledge, providing that [information] to us and that person hasn't come forward."
How you can help
Powell said if you have any information that may help the Bell County Sheriff's Department solve this case, you can either call BCSD at at 254-933-5412 or Crime Stoppers where your tip can remain anonymous.
"In that one little piece of information, you may have helped us down the road to get to bring justice," Powell said.
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