Albert George Turegano

A music teacher is found dead a month after going missing
Albert George Turegano, a 29-year-old music teacher in San Antonio, Texas, was a man who came from a family with deep roots in local law enforcement. His grandfather had been a San Antonio police officer, and an uncle served as a lieutenant with the Bexar County Sheriff's Department. Albert lived a quiet life with his grandparents, dedicated to his passion for music. But in the late summer of 1986, his life came to a violent and mysterious end, leaving his family with unanswered questions that have haunted them for decades.

On the night of Saturday, August 16, 1986, Albert went out to the ZigZag Club, a nightspot located in the 2800 block of Northeast Loop 410. The mid-1980s in San Antonio was a vibrant time, with a thriving music scene that ranged from Tejano and heavy metal to punk and new wave. Witnesses later told police they saw Albert sitting at a table inside the club, enjoying the evening in the company of four other men. These men were described as servicemen; two were believed to have been in the U.S. Army and two in the U.S. Air Force. This was the last time anyone is known to have seen him alive.

When Albert didn't return home, his grandparents grew deeply concerned. On Monday, August 18, two days after he was last seen, they officially reported him missing to the San Antonio Police Department. The same day his family filed the report, the first signs of foul play emerged. Three fraudulent charges were made using Albert's credit card at locations in San Antonio, indicating that someone else was in possession of his belongings. The investigation into his disappearance intensified.

A week later, on August 25, police located Albert's car. It had been abandoned and was discovered bearing stolen license plates, a clear attempt to disguise the vehicle and sever its connection to the missing man. The discovery of the car confirmed his family's worst fears, but Albert's whereabouts remained unknown. For a month, the case grew colder as his loved ones waited in anguish for any news.

The tragic breakthrough came on September 18, 1986. Workers in a vacant field near the interchange of Highway 90 and Loop 410 stumbled upon a horrifying scene: scattered skeletal remains. The San Antonio Police Department responded to the location, but the identification process would be long and arduous. A crucial and disturbing element of the discovery was that the skull was missing from the remains. To this day, it has never been recovered. It took nearly a year of forensic work before the Bexar County Medical Examiner could confirm the identity of the victim. On July 29, 1987, a death certificate was finally issued for Albert George Turegano.

The investigation into Albert's homicide has been active for many years, handled by the SAPD's Cold Case Squad. From the beginning, detectives have believed that the four servicemen last seen with Albert at the ZigZag Club hold vital information about what happened that night. Police have stated they have "good suspects" in the case, but without definitive evidence or testimony, no arrests have ever been made.

As of January 2017, the case remains unsolved. Investigators have expressed hope that with the passage of time, someone's conscience may lead them to come forward with the missing piece of the puzzle. They also believe that advances in DNA technology could one day provide the scientific evidence needed to finally close the case and bring charges against those responsible for Albert's death. The San Antonio Police Department continues to ask for the public's help. Anyone with information about the murder of Albert George Turegano, or the identities of the four servicemen he was with on his final night, is urged to contact the SAPD Homicide Cold Case Unit at 210-207-7635.