"They're chasing me": 23-year-old found dead in a river in Houston after a disturbing video call with his family
@houstonpolice @houmayor @GregAbbott_TX @tedcruz @JDVance
New details have come to light about the last hours of José Ángel Villasmil Urdaneta, 23, who was found dead on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 in Buffalo Bayou, Houston, Texas. Before disappearing, the young man would have made a distressing video call to his relatives while desperately running under a bridge.
According to testimonies from close people, during the early hours of Monday, October 12, José Ángel communicated by video in an apparent state of drunkenness and visibly altered. During the conversation he assured that he felt that they were chasing him. His relatives could watch him running, but soon after they lost all communication with him.
That same Monday, the pickup truck he was driving was found crashed and abandoned inside Buffalo Bayou. The vehicle was removed and transferred to a municipal corral, while his girlfriend officially reported his disappearance. For two days, his loved ones remained without knowing his whereabouts or what had happened that morning.
On Wednesday, October 14, authorities located a body floating in the waters near James Bute Park. Later, the family received the devastating news that it was José Ángel. The search was over, but a new stage full of questions about his last moments alive began.