Desiree Gauna and Mariana Montoya Palacios killed in shootings linked to Austin man in Texas

 In Austin, the discovery of Desiree Gauna inside a West William Cannon Drive residence began an investigation that soon stretched into neighboring Bastrop and involved another woman’s death. What first appeared to be one fatal shooting became part of a larger case centered on 22-year-old Manuel Salgado Vasquez, whom investigators believe was connected to both deaths. The developments also brought two separate police investigations into a single timeline.

Austin police said Gauna, 27, was found dead Tuesday morning after a family member reported being unable to contact her. Officers arrived at the residence in the 700 block of West William Cannon Drive at about 8:26 a.m. and found her deceased inside. Police said she had apparent gunshot wounds, and she was pronounced dead at 8:49 a.m. The early response prompted homicide detectives to begin examining her recent activities and relationships.

The investigation then began filling in details about Gauna’s final known days. Homicide detectives determined she had been living with Salgado, while investigators learned she had stopped communicating with family and others on the afternoon of Sunday, September 13. Salgado reportedly also failed to appear for work that day, leaving authorities without a known location for him as they continued examining what had happened. Those details became important as detectives sought to understand the sequence leading to Tuesday morning.

A separate shooting in Bastrop provided investigators with another crucial part of the timeline. Bastrop police said Salgado met his former girlfriend, 20-year-old Mariana Montoya Palacios, at Fisherman’s Park on Sunday. Investigators said he shot Palacios at close range, killing her, and then shot himself, leaving officers responding to the park with two people suffering fatal or potentially fatal injuries. The Bastrop incident occurred before Austin detectives had completed their work on Gauna’s death.

When Bastrop officers arrived, Salgado was found with a gunshot wound and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Palacios was pronounced dead at the scene. Salgado survived the initial shooting but later died from his injuries at approximately 2:58 p.m. Tuesday, according to authorities, adding another death to an investigation already unfolding across two jurisdictions. His death meant investigators were left to establish the circumstances through evidence and information already available.

As detectives compared information from Austin and Bastrop, they determined that Salgado had been romantically involved with both women. His connection to Gauna and Palacios became a central element of the investigation, and preliminary findings led detectives to believe Salgado was responsible for the deaths of both women. Authorities have not released additional details explaining what may have led to the shootings or identified a possible motive. That part of the case remains unresolved publicly.

The case has left investigators working through separate crime scenes while piecing together a shared timeline. Gauna’s death remains an active investigation in Austin, where detectives are continuing efforts to complete the case. Salgado’s vehicle was located at a Bastrop wrecker yard on Wednesday, after his whereabouts had remained unknown following Sunday, giving investigators another location to consider as they reconstructed the sequence of events. Police have not said publicly what additional evidence may emerge from that vehicle or location.

For Gauna’s family, the investigation began with a missed connection and a request for help after they could no longer reach her. For Palacios’s loved ones, her death came from a separate encounter that authorities say was linked to the same man. With both investigations connected by the preliminary findings, the focus remains on establishing the full circumstances while authorities continue withholding a possible motive. The investigation therefore remains active, with Austin detectives still working to fully complete their case.