FBI Seeks Publics Aid with Billboard Campaign, Reward (Please Help)

Emmerson Buie, Jr., special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s El Paso Division, has announced a new digital billboard campaign.

The campaign highlights an FBI reward of up to $45,000 for information leading to the resolution of the investigation into the death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez and the injury of another U.S. Border Patrol agent that occurred on November 18, 2017, in Van Horn, Texas.

Law enforcement is expanding its query for information to cover the Southwest Border: Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and the state of Texas.

Anyone driving through Van Horn during 10 p.m. to midnight on November 18, 2017, is asked to contact the FBI with any information.

(CBP and FBI El Paso hold a press briefing on the death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez in the line of duty near Van Horn, Texas. Courtesy of USBP El Paso Sector Communications Department and YouTube. Posted on Nov 21, 2017)

The FBI has partnered with Clear Channel Outdoor and Lamar Advertising to run digital billboards in the southwest Border States.

These billboards will run from November 30-December 8, 2017.

On November 18, 2017, at approximately 11:20 p.m. CST, U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Van Horn Station in the Big Bend Sector located two injured Border Patrol agents in a culvert area adjacent to Interstate 10, about 12 miles east of Van Horn.

U.S. Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez (Image courtesy of Blue Lives Matter)
Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez, a native of El Paso, joined the Border
Patrol in August 2013 and was assigned to the Big Bend Sector. (Image courtesy
of Blue Lives Matter)

They provided the injured agents with immediate medical care and transported them to a local Van Horn hospital.

Both agents sustained traumatic head injuries, along with other miscellaneous physical injuries such as broken bones.

At a local hospital in Van Horn, it was determined both of the agents’ injuries were severe and required advanced medical care. The injured agents were airlifted separately to a local hospital in El Paso, Texas.

Sadly, Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez succumbed to his injuries and died in the early morning hours of Sunday, November 19, 2017.

(A memorial service was held for Border Patrol agent Rogelio Martinez as questions linger over his death after suffering injuries last week in southwest Texas. Courtesy of CNN and YouTube. Posted on Nov 25, 2017)

The FBI, as the lead agency for investigating any potential assault on a federal officer, became the lead on this investigation, November 19, 2017.

Whenever the FBI suspects a member of the federal law enforcement community has been the victim of a violent assault, the FBI is responsible for investigating the matter.

The FBI is working closely with U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (including CBP Air and Marine), Texas Department of Public Safety, and United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

Additionally, the FBI has received assistance from the HSI, DEA, CBP Office of Professional Responsibility, Department of Homeland Security’s-Office of Inspector General, El Paso Police Department, and Culberson County Sheriff’s Department.

FBI banner image

The FBI is asking anyone with information about this tragic incident to contact the FBI 24 hours a day at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or online at tips.fbi.gov.

The FBI is aggressively investigating all leads coming in from the public and through investigative activities.