Darian Rangel disappeared from the West Side before he was found four days later near Wurzbach Parkway on the North Side.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A search that grew from a missing-person case into a statewide Amber Alert ended with the death of 17-year-old Darian Alexandre Rangel, whose body was found four days after he disappeared from San Antonio’s West Side.
Rangel was reported missing after he was last seen Sept. 7 in the 7200 block of Marbach Road. His disappearance prompted appeals from his family and eventually an Amber Alert as authorities sought information about the teenager’s whereabouts. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also posted a missing-child notice for him.
His mother told Univision San Antonio during the search that Rangel’s cellphone had been found abandoned on Loop 410 near Exit 13. Authorities did not publicly explain how the phone came to be there or whether investigators considered its location significant to what happened after Rangel was last seen.
Descriptions circulated during the search said Rangel was 17 and had last been seen wearing black clothing and a red cap while carrying a crossbody bag. The public alerts were intended to help authorities locate him, but officials released limited information about the circumstances that had led them to believe an Amber Alert was warranted.
On Sept. 11, a passerby spotted Rangel in a grassy area near Wurzbach Parkway and Vista Del Norte on the city’s North Side and contacted authorities. Police said he was found at about 7:50 p.m. The discovery placed him several miles from the West Side area where the search had begun.
The Amber Alert was later discontinued. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified Rangel and determined that he had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. His death was ruled a homicide, changing the focus of the investigation from finding a missing teenager to determining who killed him and why.
Police have not publicly announced a suspect, motive or arrest. Investigators also have not said how Rangel traveled from the Marbach Road area to the location where his body was discovered or provided a detailed account of his movements during the days he was missing.
The timeline leaves investigators with several unanswered questions, including when Rangel was killed and whether the North Side location where he was found was also the site of the shooting. Authorities have not released findings answering those questions.
San Antonio police continue to investigate Rangel’s death as a homicide. The missing-person search has ended, but the circumstances between his Sept. 7 disappearance and the Sept. 11 discovery of his body remain a central part of the investigation.
Author note: Last updated September 15, 2026.