Help Us Bring Our Beloved Desiree Home

Our family is asking for help during the most devastating time we have ever experienced.

On September 15, 2026, our beloved sister, daughter, mother, aunt, granddaughter, niece, and friend, Desiree Gauna, was found deceased inside the apartment where she lived. She was only 27 years old.

But Desiree wasn’t just a name in a police report.

She was our Desiree.

And to four little children, she was Mommy.

Desiree leaves behind her four beautiful children: Aleeah, 7; Aniyah, 6; Arianna, 3; and Giovanni, just 2 years old.

Four babies who still need their mother.

Four little children who should be growing up hearing her voice, feeling her hugs, running to her when they’re scared, celebrating birthdays with her, and making memories with her.

Instead, they are being forced to learn what it means to grow up without their mommy.

There is something especially heartbreaking about knowing that Desiree was taken from her children before they were old enough to understand what happened. Giovanni is only two years old. He is so little that he may one day have memories of his mother that are only pieces, her face, her voice, her hugs, the sound of her laugh.

They deserved a lifetime with their mom.

Desiree deserved a lifetime with her babies.

She was beautiful, loving, full of life, and had a personality you could never forget. She was always smiling, always trying to see the good in life, and had the kind of love that made the people around her feel special. She had her own little sass, her own way of making people laugh, and a heart that loved deeply.

Her love was truly one of a kind.

Our family last spoke with Desiree on Sunday, September 13. As the hours passed and we still couldn’t reach her, we became increasingly worried. On Tuesday morning, I personally contacted the Austin Police Department and asked them to conduct a welfare check because our family knew something was terribly wrong.

Officers went to Desiree’s apartment on West William Cannon Drive.

And there, they found my beautiful sister deceased from apparent gunshot wounds.

Nothing can prepare a family for hearing those words.

As detectives began investigating, they learned that Manuel Salgado Vasquez had been living with Desiree. They also learned that he had been romantically involved with both Desiree and another young woman, 20-year-old Mariana Montoya Palacios.

According to investigators, the events of that Sunday were connected.

Police believe Salgado shot Desiree at the apartment on Sunday, September 13. He then traveled to Bastrop, where he met Mariana. Investigators say he fatally shot Mariana and then shot himself. Salgado was transported to a hospital with a gunshot wound and remained there until Tuesday, when he died from his injuries.

By the time our family was desperately trying to find Desiree on Tuesday morning, she was already gone.

The Austin and Bastrop Police Departments are investigating the deaths as connected homicides, and based on their preliminary investigation, detectives believe Salgado was responsible for the deaths of both women. The investigation into Desiree’s death remains open.

There are still so many questions.

There is so much our family is trying to process.

But through all of this, we don’t want the circumstances of Desiree’s death to become the only thing people remember about her.

We want people to know Desiree.

We want people to know the woman behind the headlines.

The sister who was loved beyond words.

The daughter whose family would give anything for one more conversation.

The mother whose four little children will spend the rest of their lives missing her.

The aunt whose presence mattered.

The friend who could light up a room.

The woman who smiled even when life wasn’t perfect.

The beautiful soul who deserved to grow old, make memories, celebrate birthdays, watch her children grow, experience more love, laugh with her family, and live the life that was taken from her far too soon.

Desiree deserved more time.

She deserved to come home.

She deserved to be safe in her own home.

She deserved to watch Aleeah turn 8.

She deserved to watch Aniyah grow into the beautiful person she would become.

She deserved to watch little Arianna take her first steps into the world.

She deserved to watch Giovanni grow up.

She deserved to be there for their first days of school, graduations, birthdays, holidays, accomplishments, heartbreaks, and all the little moments in between.

Her babies deserved their mommy.

And now our family is left trying to give Desiree the final goodbye she deserves while simultaneously trying to help four little children navigate a life they never should have had to live without their mother.

We are creating this fundraiser to help our family with Desiree’s funeral and burial expenses, bringing her home, memorial arrangements, and the many unexpected costs that come with losing someone so suddenly and tragically.

We also want to help provide support for her four children as our family comes together to help care for them and navigate the future that was unexpectedly placed in front of them.

We never imagined we would have to ask for help burying our sister.

We never imagined four children would have to grow up without their mother.

But right now, we need our community.

If you knew Desiree, loved her, crossed paths with her, or simply feel moved by her story, please consider donating whatever you can.

Even $5, $10, or $20 can help.

If you aren’t able to donate, please share this fundraiser. A share can reach someone who can help us give Desiree the beautiful farewell she deserves and help her babies as they face the unimaginable loss of their mother.

And if all you can do is pray, please pray for our family.

Pray for our mother.

Pray for her siblings.

And most of all, pray for Aleeah, Aniyah, Arianna, and Giovanni.

Pray for four little hearts that don’t deserve to carry this kind of pain.

Pray that as they grow, they will always know how deeply their mother loved them.

Pray that they will hear stories about her laughter, her smile, her personality, her love, and the beautiful woman she was.

Because we refuse to let the way Desiree died become the story of her life.

Her story is that she was loved.

Her story is that she was a mother.

Her story is that she gave love so freely.

Her story is that she had a smile that could brighten a room.

Her story is that she was full of life, laughter, and sass.

Her story is that she was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s friend, someone’s aunt

and most importantly, she was Mommy to four little children who will love her forever.

We know we cannot bring Desiree back.

But we can make sure she is surrounded by love as we lay her to rest.

We can tell the world who she was.

We can keep her name alive.

And we can make sure her children grow up knowing that their mother mattered, that she was loved, and that the world was better because she was in it.

When people hear Desiree Gauna, we don’t want them to only think about how her life ended.

We want them to remember how beautifully she lived.

Her smile.

Her laughter.

Her heart.

Her sass.

Her love.

Her light.

And the four little lives she brought into this world and loved with everything she had.

Desiree, you should still be here.

Your babies should still have their mommy.

Your family should still be making memories with you.

There are no words big enough for what we have lost.

We love you more than words can ever explain, and we will spend the rest of our lives making sure you are never forgotten.

Please help us bring our beautiful girl home.

And please help us surround her babies with the love and support they deserve.

Rest peacefully, Desiree.

Your babies will know how much you loved them.

Your family will carry you forever.

And your light will never be forgotten.

With all our love,

Your Loving Family