Comes news that remains found near White Rock Lake a few days ago have been identified as those of the missing Javier’s GM, Jose “Pepe” Ayala. It appears that Ayala died of a gunshot wound, but the medical examiner has yet to determine whether he was murdered.
This revelation causes us at the magazine to reflect on the story we published about Ayala’s disappearance in July, in which we said it seemed apparent — given the timing of his disappearance; given police statements; given what his boss, Javier Gutierrez, was finally saying — that Ayala had gone into hiding to avoid serving jail time for his eighth DWI arrest. If we got that wrong, if Ayala really was abducted when he went missing in April, I will deeply regret having compounded the Ayala family’s misery with our story. For now, though, we will have to wait for the medical examiner’s report. Hopefully it will shed light on what actually happened.
Either way, today’s news is dreadful for the Ayala family and for Ayala’s friends at Javier’s. Our condolences go out to them.
