Sheriff: Texas National Guard soldier drowns along Rio Grande in Eagle Pass

The Texas National Guard is continuing to search for a soldier who went missing but had to call off dive operations Friday evening. The soldier went missing Friday morning after trying to rescue a migrant crossing the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass. Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber told the Express-News he believed the soldier had drowned, while the guard has said reports of his death were inaccurate. The guard, in a statement Friday night, said “the strength of the river’s current has forced the search and rescue teams to cease dive operations. We are hopeful that they will resume tomorrow.

“We will continue the search for our soldier until we have exhausted all possible resources,” the guard continued, adding it was in the process of notifying the GI’s family. The guard provided no new information in an email Saturday morning to the San Antonio Express-News, and had no update on the situation on its website or Twitter account. Schmerber, reached Saturday morning, said the soldier had yet to be found. He also said he had no further information about the woman who was rescued.