Jesse Rangel Jr was a 28-year-old Hispanic man from Austin, Texas, who was shot and killed during an aggravated robbery on January 26, 2002. The shooting prompted an active response from Austin police and a public search for information from Rangel’s family.

In September 2002 Rangel’s family offered a $9,000 reward to encourage tips to bolster the homicide investigation. The case remained challenging for investigators and the family sought additional information to strengthen it.