National Guardsman Who Disappeared In Texas River Trying To Save Drowning Migrants Identified

Search and rescue teams are looking for a National Guard member who went missing in the Texas river while trying to save two migrants who appeared to be drowning. He has been identified as Bishop Evans of Arlington.

Evans, a field artilleryman of a regiment in New Braunfels, outside San Antonio, went missing Friday while serving his assignment as part of the Operation Lone Star, a security initiative along the U.S.-Mexico border. The officials continue to search for the 22-year-old soldier who jumped into the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass in an attempt to save the migrants who were struggling to cross it, NBC News reported.

The Texas Military Department said Evans "selflessly attempted" to help the migrants who appeared to be drowning. The soldier removed his jacket and jumped into the river. The current was really strong at the time, the reports said.

"He jumped in the river. They never saw him come out," Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said, reported ABC News.

Evans joined the Texas Army National Guard in May 2019. Before his current assignment at the US-Mexico border, Evans was deployed to Kuwait and had assignments in Iraq as part of Operation Spartan Shield.

"During this mobilization, his dedication, talents, and tactical prowess led his leadership to regularly assign him to operations in Iraq in support of Special Operations Forces for short periods of time, while then rotating back into Kuwait," the department said in a news release.

The officials notified Evans' family about the disappearance on Friday night. The dive teams were forced to halt the search operations Saturday evening as the river's current continued at an increased pace. However, the rescue operations resumed early Sunday morning, with the addition of three airboats from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott described Evans as a "hero" who risked his life for serving the country.

"Texas National Guard Specialist Bishop Evans is a hero who risked his life in service to Texas & America. Law enforcement & rescue teams continue a relentless search for him," the governor said in a tweet Monday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol took the two migrants who illegally crossed the border into custody for their alleged involvement in drug smuggling.