Incident Record
87-year-old Robstown man died after bees attacked him while cutting grass for neighbor
Jose Santos-Ortiz, 87, died after being attacked by bees while cutting a neighbor’s yard in Robstown. Robstown Police Chief Mike Tamez told KIII he had been helping a neighbor by mowing grass.
Record ID: TX-NUECES-2024-0814
This record is part of a first-pass incident research dataset. Records, categories, and source notes may be updated as additional information is reviewed and verified.
Date
8/14/2024 attack; death 8/15/2024
Location
Robstown, TX, Nueces County, TX
State
TX
Record Type
Incident Report
Trigger / Activity
Mowing / Yard Work
Severity
Fatality
Bee ID Status
Bee ID Unknown
Aggression Classification
Defensive colony attack
Incident Summary
Jose Santos-Ortiz, 87, died after being attacked by bees while cutting a neighbor’s yard in Robstown. Robstown Police Chief Mike Tamez told KIII he had been helping a neighbor by mowing grass.
Public-Safety Lesson
Mowing and yard work continue to show up as recurring triggers, and older adults helping neighbors or working outside may be at high risk if hidden colonies are present.
Impact Flags
Human Fatality
Yes
Human Hospitalized
Yes
Animal Fatality
No
Responder Involved
Yes
Source Information
Source: KIII 3News
Source Strength: B