Body of 68-year-old man found along Texas interstate had been dumped there, cops say

Three people are accused of killing a 68-year-old man, whose body was found along a Texas interstate, authorities say.

The Palo Pinto County Sheriff’s Office said the body of Marvin Wayne Henry was discovered “beside the access road” of Interstate 20 near exit 373 on Dec. 16.

But Henry, who the sheriff’s office said “was a victim of criminal assault and had suffered traumatic injuries,” is not believed to have been killed in Palo Pinto County.

Henry, of Dallas County, was dumped along the interstate after being harmed in a different location, the sheriff’s office said in a Dec. 18 news release. Palo Pinto County is about a 100-mile drive west from Dallas County.

Investigators determined Henry’s vehicle was missing, authorities said, and it was found near Gainesville, a town about 115 miles northeast from Palo Pinto County and 70 miles north from Dallas County.

Two suspects were then taken into custody, and a third was detained the following day. The three individuals — 31-year-old Natalie Gomez, 39-year-old Pascual Villaneda and 44-year-old Ruperto Toscano — face murder charges.

Authorities did not state a motive for the killing. The investigation remains active, the sheriff’s office said.