Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a CBS4 investigative report.
CAMERON COUNTY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Harlingen man already in jail awaiting trial for murder is now facing another murder charge after court records say he admitted to multiple women that he killed and buried a woman in 2019.
Anthony Eliff III, 46, is now facing two murder charges from separate incidents. Eliff is accused of shooting and killing Guillermo Garcia, 41, in February 2020 and now faces an additional murder charge for the death of Elyn Loera, 32, in September 2019.
An affidavit obtained by ValleyCentral reveals the circumstances police believe led to Loera’s death and Eliff’s arrest.
Loera was reported missing in September 2019 after traveling to Harlingen from Corpus Christi to see Eliff, whom she had a dating relationship with. According to the affidavit, she visited Eliff to celebrate her birthday, Sept. 13, and her mother last heard from her on Sept. 12, 2019.
The affidavit states Eliff and Loera stayed at the Hudson House Motel in Harlingen during her visit. Eliff told authorities that an argument ensued between the two after he saw videos on Loera’s phone of her having sex with another man, according to the affidavit.
Eliff says after this argument Loerna walked away from the motel and claims he never saw her again, according to the affidavit.
Documents state Loera was missing until an anonymous woman alerted Harlingen police in February 2020 that Eliff told her he killed Loera and buried her in San Benito. The anonymous caller turned out to be romantically involved with Eliff, according to the affidavit.
The location Loera was buried was in a field near Eliff’s relatives’ residence in San Benito. Investigators searched the field and located 46 apparent human bones, including a human skull, human hair, a blue tarp, one blanket, a towel, a bottle cap, a shovel, and a projectile.
The human remains samples were sent to a lab along with DNA samples from Loera’s family members to see if they could be identified as Loera. In February 2022, these samples were revealed to be a match.
Investigators also noted that the blanket at the gravesite was similar to the blankets in the Hudson House Motel room the pair stayed in. A white bi-fold door similar to the one that was missing from the motel room was also found on a vehicle at the residence near the burial site.
The mother of Eliff’s child told investigators during an interview that he also admitted to her that he killed and buried Loerna. She stated he was physically abusive to her and she feared telling the police because she was afraid of him.
Shortly before the information about Loerna’s burial was relayed to authorities, Eliff was arrested and charged with murder for the shooting death of Garcia on Feb. 6, 2020. Investigators are working to determine if the weapon suspected of being used in that crime was the same one used in Loera’s death.
