An El Paso educator known for her kindness and helping those in need was killed when she was hit by a rolling vehicle while trying to stop another woman from driving drunk, court documents say.
Ana Maria Paniagua, 57, was celebrating the anniversary of her son’s death when she offered to drive Aurora Morales, 62, home around 5:20 p.m. on Feb. 7 because she was concerned Morales was drunk, according to a criminal complaint affidavit.
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On February 7, 2026, 57-year-old Ana Maria Paniagua (left) was run over and killed by a car while trying to help an alleged drunk driver in the 7800 block of North Loop Road in El Paso’s Lower Valley.
When Morales tried to change seats, her 1999 Ford F350 pickup truck was backing up in the parking lot of Juanito Liquor Store in the 7800 block of North Loop Road in the Lower Valley. The truck hit Paniagua, causing a fatal accident.
El Paso Independent School District officials said Paniagua was a support staff member at Jefferson High School.
“Ana Maria was true to herself and never hesitated to help those in need,” her family wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Sadly, during this act of kindness, the same vehicle they were trying to assist was involved in an accident.
“Ana Maria was known for always putting others first and never asking for support herself. Being there for others in times of need was just who she was.”
Morales faces one count of intoxication manslaughter in connection with Paniagua’s death. An attorney for Morales was not named in court records.
Teacher tries to stop suspected drunk driver
El Paso police met with Paniagua’s daughter at Del Sol Medical Center, where Paniagua was being treated after the accident. Paniagua later died at the hospital from injuries sustained in the accident.
The daughter told police that she and her mother saw Morales in front of her home earlier in the day and appeared to need help. Paniagua stopped by Morales’ home to check on her.
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Morales told Paniagua that she doesn’t usually drink but drank that day because she remembered her son, who was killed eight years ago on February 22. She drank to “try to forget her son’s death,” the affidavit said.
Paniagua and another passerby helped Morales back to her front yard and called for medical services. First responders arrived and helped Morales return to her home.
Paniagua and her daughter finished their errands and decided to go back to Morales’ house to visit. They discovered that a car previously parked at the house was missing.
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Mother and daughter drove around the area, especially where there were bars, trying to find Morales. They found Morales’ truck outside a liquor store.
Paniagua walked to the driver’s side window and spoke with Morales. The truck was moving and in reverse gear. She offered to drive Morales home. Morales moved to the middle seat and released the brakes, the affidavit said.
The truck started rolling backwards. Paniagua was trapped by the left front tire, which rolled across her abdomen, the affidavit said.
“I’ve never met her”
At the scene of the accident, an officer told Morales she had been in a car accident. Morales replied: “Yo, you, yoestaba manejando patras pero nunca la mire,” which in English means “I know, I’m going backwards, but I’ve never seen her,” the affidavit reads.
An officer wrote in the affidavit that Morales had “red glossy eyes, but noted that the defendant (Morales) had been crying while speaking to the officer.”
Aurora Morales
Morales was taken to the police station and placed in a holding cell. She was questioned by officials. Morales recalled being at the liquor store and backing up when she heard a tap on the truck’s left window, the affidavit said. She told Paniagua that the window was broken and to open the door.
An officer asked Morales if he was driving. Morales responded that she was not driving and that her friend was driving but “didn’t want to cause her any trouble,” according to the affidavit.
Morales first claimed she got out of the car on the driver’s side, but later claimed she got out “on the driver’s side,” the affidavit states. The officer who interviewed her allegedly smelled the odor of alcohol coming from Morales.
Police gave Morales field sobriety tests, but she failed. She was arrested on suspicion of DUI manslaughter.
Morales remains in the El Paso County Jail on $250,000 bail. A bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19, court records show.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He can be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared in the El Paso Times: El Paso educator dies after trying to stop suspected drunk driver
