Mario Cuevas, the 57-year-old owner of a beloved El Paso Italian restaurant, was shot to death inside his West El Paso home on Labor Day, and nearly two months later, no one has been arrested. Crime Stoppers has now named his killing this week's Crime of the Week, renewing a public appeal for tips in a case that has gone cold since early September.
A 911 Call on a Holiday Morning
According to Crime Stoppers, officers responded to a 911 call about a man found dead at a home in the 4900 block of Vista Grande on September 7, the Labor Day holiday. As reported by KFOX, the 911 call came in around 9:40 a.m. Separately, KTSM reported that officers were dispatched shortly after 9:30 a.m. that Monday to the Vista Grande Circle address, off Country Club Drive.
El Paso Police Department Crimes Against Persons Unit detectives identified the victim as 57-year-old Mario Cuevas. At the time, police described the case only as a suspicious death, saying officers found a male in his 50s dead inside the home and that the man appeared to have been shot. Police also called it an isolated incident and said no arrests had been made as of that day, according to the same KTSM report.
Suspicious Death Becomes a Murder Investigation
Investigators have since determined that Cuevas had been shot and that his death was a homicide, according to Crime Stoppers. KTSM reported that further investigation and evidence established the death as a murder. Investigators now believe someone in the community may have information identifying those responsible for Cuevas's death.
Cuevas was a longtime El Paso resident and the owner of an Italian restaurant, a detail confirmed across multiple records of his life in the city. His obituary, posted on Legacy.com, identifies him as the owner of Pasta Avanti, which he ran alongside his mother. A Better Business Bureau profile for the restaurant also lists Mario Cuevas as its owner, according to BBB.org.
Crime Stoppers Renews Call for Tips
Nearly two months after Cuevas was found dead, the case remains unsolved, and Crime Stoppers of El Paso is asking anyone with information to call 566-8477. Tips can be submitted anonymously, and the organization says individuals whose information leads to an arrest may qualify for a cash reward. Crime Stoppers of El Paso credited the image of Cuevas used in its public appeal.
The 911 call that brought officers to Cuevas's home on Labor Day led to an active murder investigation, leaving Cuevas's family and the broader restaurant community without answers. For now, the case rests on whatever the public is willing to share with investigators.
