Mireya Villarreal

Native Texan Mireya Villarreal was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. After attending the University of Texas Pan-American on a tennis scholarship, her first on-air job was at KGNS in Laredo, covering sports as a weekend anchor/reporter. Her next move took her to back to the Rio Grande Valley, where she reported on crime, border violence and education at KRGV. Before joining CBS 11 News in January 2013, Mireya spent four years as an investigative reporter at WOAI in San Antonio.

As an investigative journalist, Mireya’s work has focused on consumer issues and exposing government corruption and waste. In San Antonio, she uncovered a barter system where city employees used Alamodome suites for their family and friends. In addition, her series of stories on retaining wall construction resulted in major changes by the city and county to better protect homeowners. And several of her stories on a neglected unincorporated neighborhood gained the attention and action of state lawmakers, who’ve already filed legislation that would give county leaders more power to go after absentee property owners. In 2012, her report on a real estate scam that targeted San Antonio homebuyers sparked legal investigations into two local companies and earned her a Lone Star Emmy. She’s also received two Texas Associated Press Awards for stories on immigration and child safety.

Mireya loves being outdoors, staying active and spending time with family and friends. She and her husband, Matthew Gideon, have a basset hound named Biggie.

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