Seven years after 20-year-old Meagan Gonzales was found burned and badly decomposed in a field in southwest Bexar County, investigators have arrested a suspect in connection with her death.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said it arrested Joey Emiliano Tovar-Vargas on Thursday. Meagan Gonzales’ dad, Eddie, said detectives contacted him two days later, on Saturday, Oct. 31, to tell him about the arrest.
Asked whether he had lost hope that someone would be held accountable for his daughter’s death, Eddie Gonzales said he had not.
“I feel more like ... more relaxed because they caught this one person,” he said.
Tovar-Vargas is facing charges related to the disposal of Meagan Gonzales’ body and tampering with evidence. He has not been charged with her murder.
For Eddie Gonzales, the arrest brings some relief after years of waiting for answers.
“I promised you justice, and we’re getting it for you, and I really wish you were still here with us,” he said.
Meagan Gonzales was last seen alive around Nov. 11, 2019, with Tovar-Vargas in her vehicle, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. She was reported missing four days later.
Her truck was found Dec. 2, 2019, near Northwest Loop 410. Investigators found blood in the truck bed that DNA testing later linked to Meagan Gonzales.
The following day, her body was discovered in the 12000 block of Wisdom Road. Authorities described her as burned beyond recognition.
Eddie Gonzales said he remembers the shock of learning what happened to his daughter.
“It was terrible to hear some news like that. It was something that I never thought I was going to hear, especially from my own kids,” he said.
Investigators suspected Tovar-Vargas early in the case, but authorities said they initially had little evidence connecting him to Meagan Gonzales’s death. The investigation eventually went cold after leads were exhausted.
That changed when the sheriff’s office cold case team revisited evidence using technology that was not available in 2019.
Sheriff Javier Salazar said investigators were able to access more information from Tovar-Vargas’ cellphone, which he described as a significant source of evidence.
Investigators said cellphone records placed Tovar-Vargas near locations where Meagan Gonzales’ belongings were found. They also said the phone contained searches about how long fingerprints last and how to delete social media accounts.
Authorities said photos on the phone showed a distinctively patterned blanket inside Tovar-Vargas’ home before Meagan Gonzales’ death. Investigators said her body was found wrapped in a blanket with a matching pattern.
The sheriff’s office also said witnesses reported seeing Tovar-Vargas dumping items in the days after Meagan Gonzales disappeared. Investigators believe he also asked a witness for help moving a body.
The sheriff’s office said Tovar-Vargas has a lengthy criminal history and is a suspect in domestic violence cases involving three other women. All three women are alive. Investigators said they believe Tovar-Vargas and Meagan Gonzales were dating but had no reports of violence between the two.
Eddie Gonzales said hearing about the allegations involving other women raised concerns for him.
“That makes me think that he is a person who hurts people, especially women for some reason,” he said.
Asked what he would say to the person responsible for his daughter’s death, he responded: “You’re such a coward to do something like that.”
Salazar said investigators do not currently believe there are any other suspects in Meagan Gonzales’ death. However, the homicide investigation remains ongoing, and no homicide charge has been filed.
Tovar-Vargas remained in the Bexar County jail as of Monday night.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000.
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