Daniel Antonio Ordonez was found dead after relatives reported strange activity tied to his devices.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A missing-person report tied to a smartwatch led police to a West Side home where Daniel Antonio Ordonez, 54, was found shot to death in a trash bag, authorities said.

The case now centers on what investigators say happened after the killing. Daniel Sebastian Ordonez, 31, the victim’s son, and Alyssa Sophia Herrera, 36, his wife, have been charged with tampering with physical evidence. Police have not announced a murder charge in the shooting. Court records describe a case built from device locations, store videos, bank records, blood evidence and items bought at Walmart and Home Depot.

The search began after a family member who lived out of town reported trouble reaching Daniel Antonio Ordonez in early April. The relative had access to his cellphone and smartwatch data and told police the devices showed unusual activity. That report sent officers to a property in the 300 block of West Theo Avenue, a place the elder Ordonez owned. Officers found his phone and keys buried in a potted plant with fresh soil, according to police records. A vehicle parked at the property had what appeared to be a bullet hole in the rear window on the driver’s side. Those findings moved the case from a routine welfare check into a broader search for the missing man.

While officers were at the Theo Avenue property, Daniel Sebastian Ordonez and Herrera arrived, police said. The younger Ordonez told investigators his father lived with them at a home in the 3100 block of Vera Cruz Street. The couple gave consent for officers to search that home. Behind the residence, police found a separate structure. Inside it was a large black trash bag lying on clear plastic sheeting. Officers said the bag was leaking what appeared to be blood. When police checked the bag, they found Daniel Antonio Ordonez’s body. Investigators later reported seeing drag marks in blood near the bag. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office determined he died from a gunshot wound to the head and ruled the death a homicide.

Investigators said the scene showed signs that someone tried to clean up after the killing. A search warrant at the Vera Cruz Street home led crime scene officers inside and outside the house. They used a bloodstain reagent and found signs that blood had been cleaned from areas of the property, according to affidavits. Officers also reported that several surveillance cameras appeared to have been removed from the back of the house. No spent shell casings or other ballistic evidence were found, according to local reporting on the arrest records. Police have not publicly said where the shooting happened, when the shot was fired or who fired it.

Police said the shopping trail became a key part of the evidence-tampering case. Investigators reviewed bank records and then checked surveillance video and receipts from two major retailers. At Walmart, Daniel Sebastian Ordonez allegedly bought towels, duct tape and what court records called a “mummy” style sleeping bag. At Home Depot, police said he was recorded buying gloves, a shovel, a sledgehammer, clear acrylic sheets, a scoring tool for plastic sheets, CLR cleaner, two bags of concrete mix and a trowel. A newly purchased shovel was later found leaning against the house with stickers and packaging still attached, according to an affidavit.

The listed purchases did not lead police to a murder charge, but they formed the backbone of the tampering allegation. Investigators said the items matched an effort to conceal, alter or destroy evidence linked to the killing. The body was not buried in concrete, and police said the remains were found in a trash bag instead. The affidavit did not say all the items were used. It also did not describe a confession. Daniel Sebastian Ordonez denied being involved in the shooting and told investigators he did not know what happened to his father, according to court records summarized by local outlets.

Herrera was arrested days after her husband and charged with tampering with physical evidence, a third-degree felony. Police said she lived with Daniel Sebastian Ordonez and Daniel Antonio Ordonez at the Vera Cruz Street home. An affidavit in her case said investigators believed the couple “concealed, altered and/or destroyed evidence of the murder of the victim,” according to reports on the court record. Herrera has not been charged with murder. Police have not publicly identified a suspect in the homicide itself. The charge against her is tied to the handling of evidence after the death.

Daniel Antonio Ordonez had ties to El Paso and worked in real estate, according to El Paso media reports and public memorial information. He was described as a businessman and Realtor associated with the DanO Group. Neighbors in San Antonio told local reporters they were shocked by the discovery at the Vera Cruz Street home. One neighbor, Diana Escobedo, said the news was “devastating” and “very heartbreaking.” Police reports also noted that the elder Ordonez’s girlfriend told investigators she had not heard from him for several days before the body was found. She said later text messages did not sound like they came from him.

Local reports said the girlfriend told police the last text she believed came from Daniel Antonio Ordonez indicated he had argued with his son and daughter-in-law. Police said the younger Ordonez told investigators he last saw his father on Easter night. Authorities have not publicly released a motive. They also have not said whether they believe the shooting happened at the Vera Cruz Street home, the Theo Avenue property or another location. The known record leaves a gap between the medical examiner’s homicide ruling and the current charges, which focus on concealment rather than the act of killing.

The legal stakes remain serious even without a murder charge. Tampering with physical evidence can carry prison time if prosecutors prove a person altered, concealed or destroyed evidence knowing an investigation or official proceeding was pending or likely. Daniel Sebastian Ordonez also faces a count connected to failing to report human remains. Local reports said he was held on a $150,000 bond and scheduled for a July 8 court appearance. Herrera also was reported held on a $150,000 bond after her arrest. Court records could change if prosecutors seek more charges.

The investigation remains open as San Antonio police work through forensic results, records from the two properties and the timeline of the victim’s last known contacts. The medical examiner has ruled the death a homicide, but police have not announced who they believe shot Daniel Antonio Ordonez. The next public milestone in Daniel Sebastian Ordonez’s case is his scheduled July 8 court appearance.

Author note: Last updated May 6, 2026.