Authorities have reportedly found the body of missing Texas National Guardsman Bishop Evans, who disappeared on Friday attempting to rescue two migrants who were crossing the Rio Grande River.
Texas Military Department (TMD) officials are currently working to confirm the identity of the body.
“The search concluded at about 8:30 a.m. on Monday when Border Patrol agents found the body of Specialist Evans near the Mexican side of the Rio Grande,” according to Breitbart Texas.
Abbott shared a statement on Twitter Sunday noting the search for Evans’ body.
The governor referred to Evans as “a hero who risked his life in service to Texas & America.”
Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans is a hero who risked his life in service to Texas & America.
Law enforcement & rescue teams continue a relentless search for him.
Join us in prayer for a successful recovery.
Updates will be provided when they become available. pic.twitter.com/nULof4gcwl
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) April 24, 2022
Evans was assigned to A Battery, 4-133 Field Artillery Regiment in New Braunfels, the TMD said in a statement. He joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019. Evans left Texas, but returned in 2020 after serving in Operation Spartan Shield in Kuwait.
Townhall also confirmed the recovery of Evans’ body.
“The body of a missing Texas Army National Guard soldier — Specialist Bishop Evans, assigned to Operation Lone Star — has been found. He was 22. He is believed to have drowned while saving two migrants, alleged to be drug smugglers, in the Rio Grande,” Townhall’s Guy Benson tweeted.
BREAKING: The body of a missing Texas Army National Guard soldier — Specialist Bishop Evans, assigned to Operation Lone Star — has been found. He was 22. He is believed to have drowned while saving two migrants, alleged to be drug smugglers, in the Rio Grande. RIP. pic.twitter.com/LRGivdKpyq
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) April 25, 2022
Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez spoke out regarding the loss of Evans, noting the guardsman “will forever be remembered for the bravery and compassion he showed while saving lives in the Rio Grande. We will make sure this young soldier’s sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
SPC. Evans will forever be remembered for the bravery and compassion he showed while saving lives in the Rio Grande. We will make sure this young soldier’s sacrifice will never be forgotten. https://t.co/w4gART2snc
— Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) April 24, 2022
On Sunday, Fox News’ Bill Melguin tweeted, “The TX National Guard soldier who is presumed to have drowned in the Rio Grande on Friday has been identified as 22-year-old Specialist Bishop E. Evans from Arlington, TX.”
NEW: The TX National Guard soldier who is presumed to have drowned in the Rio Grande on Friday has been identified as 22-year-old Specialist Bishop E. Evans from Arlington, TX. His body still hasn’t been found, & TX Rangers say the people he tried to save were drug smugglers.
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) April 24, 2022
Melugin reported that the migrants Evans attempted to save were allegedly drug traffickers.
“His body still hasn’t been found, & TX Rangers say the people he tried to save were drug smuggler,” Melugin added.
The Daily Wire reported that Evans was stationed at the border as part of Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star,” which began in March 2021 when the governor ordered the National Guard and other authorities to Texas’ southern border to combat the rising tide of illegal immigration under the Biden administration.
“The crisis at our southern border continues to escalate because of Biden Administration policies that refuse to secure the border and invite illegal immigration,” Abbott said in March 2021. “Texas supports legal immigration but will not be an accomplice to the open border policies that cause, rather than prevent, a humanitarian crisis in our state and endanger the lives of Texans.”
“We will surge the resources and law enforcement personnel needed to confront this crisis,” Abbott added, as reported by The Daily Wire.
This is a developing story and updates may be added.