Roll of Honor
Richard Mack Latham
Incident
Inspector Richard Latham was shot and killed after being abducted from the Del Rio Port of Entry in Del Rio, Texas. On Friday, January 27th, 1984, four men committed a jewelry robbery in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, and crossed into the United States at the Del Rio Port of Entry. Inspector Latham inspected the van and located the stolen jewelry, prompting the men to pull out weapons and kidnap him. His body was found outside the border city of Eagle Pass, Maverick County, in a ditch about 200 yards off Highway 277 and north of Eagle Pass around noon on Saturday, January 28th, 1984. Latham, wearing his uniform, was handcuffed and had been murdered with his own service weapon. It was determined that Inspector Latham was executed with a shot to his back. Two of the men hired a taxi to drive them from Eagle Pass to Presidio. State troopers stopped the taxi near Dryden, Terrell County, about 140 miles from Eagle Pass. One of the men surrendered, and the other committed suicide by shooting himself with Inspector Latham's .357 magnum pistol. The other two men were later arrested in Mexico and charged along with the subject who had surrendered. The man who shot Inspector Latham was sentenced to life in prison and died while incarcerated. The other two were sentenced to 23 years in prison. Inspector Latham had served with the United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service for 16 years. He was survived by his three daughters, his father, two brothers, and a grandson. Inspector Latham was buried in the Westlawn Cemetery in Del Rio. His grandfather, Inspector James Wallen, was shot and killed near the same port of entry on March 6th, 1923.
Survivors
He was survived by his three daughters, his father, two brothers, and a grandson.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-CC4AB773- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Inspector Latham gave the United States Department of the Treasury 16 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Inspector Latham.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Inspector Richard Mack Latham is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
At United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service, 47 of 94 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard Mack Latham's cause is highlighted.
How Richard Mack Latham Compares
Offender Outcome
Committed suicide; Life sentence
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Richard Mack Latham is highlighted in Jan.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Richard Mack Latham was killed by officer's handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
93 officers from United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
