HOUSTON – A father and son have been arrested after a man’s body was discovered inside a burning car.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez posted a message on X stating that deputies arrested Ernesto Bustamante, 44, on Friday following a fatal car fire investigation from last week. On Monday, Ernesto’s son, Santiago Bustamante, 17, was also arrested.
According to court documents, investigators believe Ernesto Bustamante shot the victim, Juan Benitez, 25, in the head and chest then burned the victim’s body.
Firefighters were called to the scene on Thursday around 4 a.m. along Fellows Road and Del Papa Street, near State Highway 288 and Sam Houston Tollway. Once the fire was out, investigators found Benitez dead with gunshot wounds inside.
Court records show Benitez was living with Ernesto Bustamente at a home one minute away from where his body and burned truck were found.
According to court documents, deputies say Ernesto and Benitez were hanging out at the home and got into an argument before Ernesto allegedly shot and killed him. Ernesto and his son, Santiago then allegedly moved Benitez’s body, loading him up in the truck before setting it on fire with Benitez’s dead body inside.
When investigators stopped by Ernesto’s home, detectives said he appeared intoxicated, they noticed blood stains on wooden stairs outside the home and spent shell casings on the patio, according to the court documents. The documents also state there is surveillance video which shows a struggle between Ernesto and Benitez.
Investigators say Ernesto gave conflicting statements, saying he wasn’t at the home during the crime. But the surveillance video said otherwise.
Ernesto Bustamante is being held in the Harris County Jail and faces murder and tampering with evidence charges.
Court documents also state that Bustamante is not a United States citizen and is under a hold by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
He is due back in court on Monday, Dec. 29.
Santiago Bustamante is also in the Harris County Jail and charged with tampering with evidence.
Arrest update: @HCSOTexas Homicide Detectives charged Santiago Bustamante (7-26-08) with Tampering with Evidence, a Human Corpse in connection with this case. Santiago allegedly assisted his father (Ernesto Bustamante) with moving the victim’s body to the location on Fellows… https://t.co/BWlR00lH1x pic.twitter.com/cYR3aJe0rS
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) December 29, 2025