Los Angeles Police Department detectives are asking for the public’s help to solve the cold case murder of a teen in Boyle Heights nearly two decades ago.
Emmery Munoz was 14 years old when she left her East L.A. home on the morning of Jan. 20, 2006. Her mother, Maria Mejia, remembers it like it was yesterday.
“When she told me that she was gonna go to her friend’s, I told her, ‘I want you here by 7:30, no later than 8:00,” she told KNX News’ Karen Adams. “It was like 7:30, so I started calling her. Emmery would always answer my calls, and when she didn’t, I started, you know, kind of feeling like something was wrong.”
Five days later, officers found the Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet School student’s body at an abandoned loading dock in Boyle Heights. She had been strangled.
On Wednesday, which would have been Emmery’s 34th birthday, her family renewed their plea for information in the case. LAPD Lieutenant Ryan Rabbit said investigators have interviewed numerous people over the past 19 years, but there still may be more leads to uncover.
“We have reason to believe that there are individuals and people out there who could provide additional details that would further assist in our investigation,” he said.
He added that detectives at the time believed Emmery might have known her killer.
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Emmery’s cousin Matt Perettis is pleading for anyone with information to come forward, emphasizing that they’re no longer kids.
“This is almost 20 years later, and I'm sure there's some of Emmery's friends that are out there that have families now of their own,” he said. “The biggest question that we always have is why? Of course the who, but why?”
Anyone with information is asked to call the LAPD Central Homicide Bureau at 213-486-8700. Anonymous tips can also be submitted at 800-222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.
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