George Vargas
George Vargas died on January 25, 2026, after being held at the El Paso County Detention Facility in El Paso, Texas. Sources say he began having breathing difficulties on January 23, and that medical staff evaluated him before he was taken to University Medical Center, where he died at about 9:08 p.m. The medical examiner's preliminary report lists a natural death from bilateral pulmonary thromboembolism, pending an official autopsy. The sheriff's office, the Texas Rangers, and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards are investigating the death.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness. The medical examiner's preliminary report attributes the death to a natural bilateral pulmonary thromboembolism, pending the official autopsy.
Reported by: Medical examiner's preliminary report (as cited in the Texas Attorney General custodial death report) (medical examiner or coroner).