A new photo found on Regina Ann Santos-Aviles’ phone shows her hugging U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales in an outdoor selfie. Her husband’s lawyer said the photo was saved to her device less than a week before she committed suicide in September.
The undated photo shows the married congressman with his left arm around Santos-Aviles. The two smiled for the camera outdoors.
It’s unclear when the photo was taken or who took it.
Gonzalez said he last spoke with Santos-Aviles in June 2024.
At the time of her death, she was the director of the Uvalde Congressman’s district office. On Wednesday, Gonzalez admitted he had an affair with her in 2004 but said he took no responsibility for her suicide. U.S. House of Representatives rules ban members from having sex with staffers.
As Gonzalez ran for a fourth term representing Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, controversy surrounding the liaison engulfed the campaign.
The House Ethics Committee announced on Tuesday it would investigate sexual misconduct allegations against Gonzalez, and on Thursday House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders called on him to abandon his re-election bid.
Also on Thursday, Robert “Bobby” Barrera, the San Antonio attorney for Santos-Aviles’ husband, provided the San Antonio Express-News with photos of Santos-Aviles and Gonzalez.
Barrera, who represents Adrian Aviles, said a digital forensics firm he hired to retrieve data from Santos Aviles’ phone determined that the image was saved as a text message attachment or downloaded to the device at 9:07 p.m. on September 8, 2025.
On September 13, she set herself on fire in the backyard of her Uvalde home. She died the next day at the age of 35. She and Aviles have been separated for several months and share the responsibilities of raising their 8-year-old son.
Barrera said at least two members of Congress contacted him earlier this week seeking text messages and other potentially embarrassing material related to the incident. Barrera and Aviles had previously provided the Express and other news outlets with sexually explicit text messages in which Gonzalez asked Santos-Aviles to send him “a sexy photo” and describe her favorite sexual position.
Barrera said members of Congress, whom he declined to name, want more material that has not yet been released. He said it would be up to Aviles whether to turn anything over.
“They want all the evidence I have,” Barrera told the Express. “They said, ‘What you send is going to the White House.’ It was intended to be delivered to members of Congress to inspire them.”
Barrera said deputies were particularly interested in a “damaging” photo that Gonzalez allegedly sent to Santos Aviles. Barrera said that while searching for that photo, he found a photo of Gonzalez with his arms around Santos-Aviles. He said he didn’t know if it was the photo they were looking for.
He said Santos-Aviles had more than 56,000 photos on his phone.
This article was originally published on Newly discovered selfie shows Rep. Tony Gonzalez with Regina Santos Aviles.
