Woman hopes for clues in mystery of son's death

Linda Montemayor is asking the public to help her solve the heart-wrenching mystery that still fills her life. She wants to know who killed her son, Robert "Robby" Montemayor, almost four years ago.

Although law enforcement authorities ruled that Robby's death was a suicide, his mother doesn't believe it. So, she has paid for a billboard visible along northbound U.S. Expressway 77/83, bearing her son's picture - he's smiling in it - and asking for help.

Montemayor believes someone killed Robby in October 2005 at his home in Rancho Viejo, and she believe someone out there knows who it was.

Her son was a happy person, she said, and he would never take his own life. She had talked to him just hours before he died and he sounded happy, she said.

"Robby was so upbeat. I was going to be in a play that weekend and he was calling to see if I was studying," she said.

The billboard, which has been up for more than two months, says: "$50,000 Reward for info leading to the prosecution in the death of Robby Montemayor.'' It also lists a telephone number to call.

"I couldn't get anything from (police detectives,) I couldn't get anything from anybody. I talked to the DA's office. Nothing has ever been done," Montemayor said in a telephone interview, as the theme song from the TV series "Law and Order" could be heard playing in the background.

"I thought, I'm going to do this. Maybe somebody, somewhere, will get greedy, maybe not right away ... maybe they will wait a month or two" before coming forward.

Investigators believe Robby, who owned Tequila Frogs on South Padre Island, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was found in a chair on the back patio of his home on Oct. 30, 2005.

A female friend told police Robby had been anxious and had taken Xanax. She also said he told her he intended "to end it all," according to court documents.

Linda Montemayor disputes the friend's claims.

"This is just all screwed up," she said. "Somebody out there knows something and nobody's talking."

According to a final autopsy report by Dr. Marguerite V. DeWitt, Robby Montemayor died from a gunshot wound to the right side of the head, "and the manner of death is presumed suicide." He had alcohol and alprazolam (an anti-anxiety drug commonly known as Xanax) in his system, the report said. Blood was found on both his hands.

The case initially was investigated by the Rancho Viejo Police Department, but was turned over to the Cameron County Sheriff's Department. Both agencies came to the conclusion that Robby Montemayor killed himself.

"We investigated it. It was a suicide," said Chief Gus Reyna of the sheriff's department.

The case then was turned over for a further and final review by the Cameron County District Attorney's Office, Reyna said.

It remains open for investigation, said Jason Moody, spokesman for the District Attorney's Office.

The Brownsville Herald has filed a public information request for a copy of the case file, but because it remains under review, the request was denied. The District Attorney's office is seeking a Texas Attorney General's Office opinion regarding the request.

Linda Montemayor hopes to pique the interest of the Vido Society, which investigates unsolved murders or deaths. The society is made up of forensic professionals who, as a public service, provide guidance to law enforcement agencies as they re-investigate unsolved crimes.

"I am thinking of calling them in, and the man from the DA's office said they would welcome it," Linda Montemayor said. "Everybody who hears the story says, ‘Yeah it's fishy,' but nobody does anything about it."

lmartinez@brownsvilleherald.com