(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The mother of the congressional staffer who set herself on fire has rejected the Daily Mail’s claims that her late daughter had an affair with former boss Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas.
Nora Gonzales, the mother of Regina Santos-Aviles, said the Mail’s Monday story had no “merit” and that the allegations were “completely false.”
Gonzales made the remarks in an interview with the New York Post, directly addressing the Mail’s claims that her daughter became “romantically involved” with the congressman after joining his office on Nov. 21, 2021.
The Mail cited three sources for its story.
Married anti-2A Rep Tony Gonzales, the Republican primary opponent of Brandon Hererra in Texas, was reportedly having an affair with his also married aide before she *reportedly* doused herself with gasoline and set herself on fire and ultimately died from her wounds.
If you… pic.twitter.com/pwSHXy5Gof
— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) October 20, 2025
Santos-Aviles died on Sept. 14 after pouring gasoline on her body and setting herself on fire the day before. Police said her mother discovered her.
The exact cause of death remains under investigation and security footage of the incident has been referred to the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab for review by the Uvalde Police Department.
At the time, she was separated from her husband, Adrian Aviles, who reportedly learned of the alleged affair earlier this year.
In a press statement, a Gonzales spokesperson did not deny the affair rumors and instead rebuked “political bottom feeders” presumably behind the story.
“Regina Aviles was a kind soul who had a lasting impact on her community, which she continued to serve until her untimely death,” Gonzales’s office said, as quoted by the Mail. “To see political bottom feeders distort the circumstances around her passing is truly sickening. Tony Gonzales remains laser-focused on delivering historic achievements for Texas and condemns any attempts to misuse this tragedy.”
Santos-Aviles worked as the regional director of Gonzales’s district office in Uvalde, Texas.
She accompanied Gonzales at several events in Texas and was photographed during Elon Musk’s famous border visit in 2023.
Gonzales did not attend Santos-Aviles’s funeral, according to the Mail.
