Victim found inside trunk of burned car identified

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Photo Courtesy: Travis County Sheriff's Office

Update

The Travis County Sheriff's Office have identified the body of the victim found in the trunk of a burned car last month in Del Valle.

Authorities said the body of Aaron Lee Rogers, 27, of Bastrop, was identified on Tuesday. His body was found in the trunk of a burned car on Buck Lane in Del Valle.

The Travis County Sheriff's Office is investigating the case as a homicide. Anyone with information is being asked to contact the Travis County Sheriff's Office. 


Firefighters discovered a body in the trunk of a burning car on Buck Lane in Del Valle Sunday morning. A neighbor reported the car fire around 7:45 A.M. Because the body was so badly burned, authorities couldn't determine the sex or age of the victim.

“This part is really hid from that house and it's really hid from the next house down, so you cannot see unless you're on this road what's going on,” said Mitzi Mewbourn who lives less than a mile from where the car was located. 

This is the seventh body found in Del Valle in two months.

Detectives with the Travis County Sheriff's Office discovered the first four inside of a burning home on Linden Road. Three weeks later, a homeowner found two decomposed bodies on her property on Pearce Lane.

All three of the incidents happened within a seven mile radius.

“I'm pretty sure it's drugs, drug related I would think, but you don't know and you won't know until the person's identified,” Mewbourn said.  

People living in Del Valle are concerned about the violence that seems to be happening more often in their own backyard.

“Cause it's everywhere. I mean, you can't depend on anything. Just keep your doors locked and your cars locked is all you can do,” said Mewbourn.

Authorities have not said whether the crimes could be related, but until detectives make an arrest, Mitzi said she won't be taking any chances.

“We’ve got a security system, so we'll start using it more often,” Mewbourn said. 

When the car was removed from Buck Lane there were not any visible license plates on it. Authorities have not classified this as a homicide, but said it is being investigated as a suspicious death.