Amberly Mendoza

0:28The perfect lunch combo. is officially here and Didi's has everything on your list. I'm talking bold styles, cool kicks, backpacks, and even dorm room essentials. All the prices that won't hurt your wallet. So don't sleep on Didi's. Whether you've got a second grader or a sophomore, Didi's has your whole family covered. Find a Didi's discount store near you and go check it out today. Before we begin, I do want to give a quick content warning. This episode discusses the sexual assault and murder of a 10-year-old child. Of course, I won't describe the assault in graphic detail, but please take care while listening.

1:12Voices for Justice is a podcast that uses adult language and discusses sensitive and potentially triggering topics including violence, abuse, and murder. This podcast may not be appropriate for younger audiences. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Some names have been changed or omitted per their request or for safety purposes. Listener discretion is advised. My name is Sarah Turney and this is Voices for Justice.

1:44Today I'm discussing the case of Amberlee Mendoza. In March 1996, the Mendoza home was full of people after a family birthday party. 10-year-old Amberlee should have been safe. Instead, she was murdered inside of her own bedroom. 30 years later, no one has been publicly identified as Amberlee's killer, but investigators say that the person or persons responsible left something behind. Something that should be able to solve this case once and for all, DNA. This is the case of Amberlee Mendoza. It's 1047 on the morning of Saturday, March 9th, 1996, and officers with the Yuma Police Department just responded to a disturbance call at the 1700 block of West 24th Lane.

2:37Inside the single-story home, they found 10-year-old Amberlee Mendoza deceased. We don't know exactly when Amberlee's mother, Veronica Mendoza, first went into her bedroom, how long it took her to understand what she was seeing, or what exactly was said when she called for help. What we do know is that around 11am, Veronica had called Amberlee's cousin, Melissa Fell. According to reporting by Manny Romero and Lauren Listiak for The Sun, who spoke with Melissa, Amberley's mother Veronica was screaming as she tried to explain what happened. Melissa said the news felt like a nightmare. Part of her still expected Amberley to walk back through the door smiling.

3:20But of course, to fully understand that morning, we need to go back to the child whose life had been unfolding in that home. Amberley was born on December 28, 1985. She was a Yuma native, and in 1996, a fourth grade student at Valley Horizon Elementary School. Now, for some context, Yuma is a border city in Arizona's southwest corner. It's close to both California and Mexico. Agriculture and the military have been long important to the area. But of course, to Amberlee, it was just home. Veronica has described Amberlee as shy, but deeply attentive to the people she loved. She liked pizza, rollerblading, drawing pictures, and shoes.

4:03Especially shoes. Veronica remembered Amberlee trying to persuade her to let her wear high heels to the park. It's really such a distinctively 10-year-old request that it just stuck with her. Amberlee also loved babies. Melissa said that when Amberlee visited, she doted on Melissa's daughter Gracie. If the baby made a sound, Amberlee was there. She just wanted to help and take care of her. Reporting by The Sun also gave us another glimpse of Amberlee through her friend Tammy. Tammy remembered helping Amberlee find recess when she was new, cleaning cafeteria tables together, playing at Amberlee's house, and going rollerblading.

4:43Tammy said she was grateful that Amberlee had been her best friend. I know those may seem like small memories, but they're really not small facts. They show us a child with routines, preferences, friendships, and a future she expected and deserved to have. But let's get to the day of Amberlee's murder. Friday, March 8th fell during the school's intercession. That day and into the night, they had a backyard barbecue to celebrate a birthday in the family. Now, we don't have a guest list, an arrival and departure timeline, or a complete account of where everyone slept. But here's what we know. The Sun staff writer Tony Carroll quoted Detective Brian Rogers as saying that Amberlee, her mother, and four children under the age of eight were inside the home that night.

5:32Now, Amberlee did share a bedroom with her sisters Jordan and Rita. They were all pretty close in age, but that night they'd spend the night with their grandmother, so Amberlee had the room to herself. Eventually, after what seems to be just a full day of fun with her family, Amberly gets tired and goes to her room to play with Barbies before finally going to bed. Veronica later recalled that in all the chaos of having visitors, it was the first time that she didn't tuck her children into bed for the night. Then sometime during the night or early the next morning, one or more people entered Amberly's bedroom.

6:09Amberly was then sexually assaulted and killed. According to at least one statement from police, Whoever did this used a pillow to suffocate Amberlee, and likely to keep her quiet during the attack. When Veronica woke up the next morning, she called out for Amberlee. When she didn't respond, she assumed that she must have gotten up to rollerblade around the neighborhood. When she couldn't find Amberlee outside, she finally went to her bedroom, discovered her unresponsive, and called police. Amberlee's sisters, Rita and Jordan, were still at their grandmother's house when she got the call that Amberlee had been killed.

6:47Here's Amberlee's older sister, Jordan, recounting that phone call with Molly Lange for KYMA News 11 in 2016. I was at my grandmother's when we got the phone call. I remember sitting in the living room, and grandma went over to the phone, answered it, and then all of a sudden she just runs out of the room screaming, throws the phone on the floor and just screaming my sister's name. And I'm looking at her and I'm like, what's going on? Like, why would my grandmother be screaming Amberlee like that? It wasn't until later that night when Jordan got home that her mother told her what happened to Amberlee.

7:28I walk in and my mom's sitting in this room, a mess, just tears all over the place. And she looks at me and she tries to pull it together and she takes a breath. And then she hugs me and says, Jordan, your sister died. This is so crazy, it's not true. Like, it was so unbelievable that just the day before, I was playing with my sister and today she's gone. Veronica is really going through the impossible with the discovery of Amberlee and now having to tell her other children. Little did she know, this was just the beginning of a decades-long investigation. Here are just some of the preliminary findings in this case.

8:12The Yuma police have determined that the time frame for this crime to occur was approximately 11.30 Friday night and 10.45 a.m. on Saturday morning when Veronica called police. Of course, that's a huge window of nearly 12 hours. And we do have some kind of odd, conflicting statements from police, but I think we can read between the lines on this one. They say that there were no signs that someone had forced entry into the home. But they also say that the screen on Amberlee's bedroom window had been removed. Like I always say, take that for what you will. Now, I've seen pictures of Amberlee's house.

8:53It faces the street. And you can really just see how accessible it is for really anybody walking past it. And it's super important to say here that it wasn't abnormal for Amberlee, her sisters, and their friends to climb in and out of their window instead of using the front door. And Veronica does acknowledge this. She told Tony Carroll for the son that the window was supposed to be closed and locked, but she also acknowledged that it might not have always been. In the end, investigators don't really say outright that whoever did this came through the window. They just say it's a possible route into the house.

9:30Of course, the alternative is that someone made their way from the front door into Amberlee's bedroom, completely undetected by the many people inside. Now, I really keep focusing on this window, because years later, an interview with Amberlee's older sister would add a disturbing recollection to the public record. She remembered people outside of that window. This episode is brought to you by DeeDee's Discounts. Back to school season is officially here and DeeDee's has everything on your list. I'm talking bold styles, cool kicks, backpacks, and even dorm room essentials. All the prices that won't hurt your wallet.

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10:25The perfect lunch combo. That first bite of your favorite sub, followed by ice-cold Pepsi. Add a couple of friends, and now that's next level. Suddenly, the laughs get louder, the stories keep flowing, and the food tastes better. Because Pepsi brings out more flavor, more fun, and more of the moment. Food deserves Pepsi. Grab a Pepsi Zero Sugar today. In the first few days after Amberley's murder, investigators had a home full of questions. Who'd been inside that night? Who knew the family's routine? Who knew which room was Amberley's? Was the removed screen connected to the crime, or was it unrelated?

11:06And how could someone assault and kill a child in a home where other people were present without being stopped? On Monday, March 11th, a forensic pathologist conducted Amberley's autopsy in Tucson. They confirmed what I told you earlier in this episode. By Tuesday, police were still looking for whoever was responsible. No suspect had been publicly identified. And Veronica couldn't identify one either. In Romero and Listiac's report, she said that her family had no idea who could have done this. She also offered a message to other parents. She urged them to pay attention to their children, to be careful, and to love them as much as possible.

11:49At Amberley School, Valley Horizon Elementary, Principal Cindy Didway told Romero and Listiak that staff members were shocked and worried about Amberley's siblings and classmates. Like I said, the school was on intercession when this happened, but counseling was arranged for when students and staff returned on March 25th. Amberley's wake was held on March 14th at St. Francis of Assisi Church. Her funeral followed the next morning. Less than a week later, on March 20th, police created a dedicated hotline just to Amberley's case. At this point, results from the physical evidence taken from the scene just hadn't been returned.

12:28Detective Rogers said that DNA testing would take time, and he couldn't say whether anyone had been eliminated. But it was pretty clear that they were looking at Amberley's family. Here is Jordan again speaking to Molly Lange for KYMA News 11 in 2016. Because even when the detectives interviewed us, you know, they asked us questions like, hey, has your dad ever tried to touch you or has anyone ever tried to hurt you before? No, like, of course not. Like, I can't believe that, you know, that you would even think that. They were really believing that it was them for like a long time, like that they knew.

13:04On March 26, The Sun reported that the hotline would remain open indefinitely. And police said that calls had come in, but hadn't really produced anything useful. Public Information Officer Lisa McCafferty made it very clear that blood test results were still pending and that no one, including members of Amberley's family, had been eliminated. In a May 5, front-page story for The Sun, reporter Manny Romero wrote that Amberley's family was confronting rumors of neglect, and really felt like investigators just weren't keeping them informed. Veronica described people pointing and staring at her in public, and Amberley's uncle, Paul Schmidt, said that the family repeatedly called police but heard that there were still no leads.

13:49Now, Romero reported that Detective Brian Rogers declined to discuss the investigation, and our public information officer, Lisa McCafferty, said that police were really just trying to do their best. And again, she added that still anybody could be a possible suspect, including Amberley's family. But that did begin to change pretty quickly. On May 31st, the Sun reported that evidence had eliminated Amberley's father, Jose Mendoza, as a suspect. He was the first person police publicly said had been eliminated. Several months later, the investigation was still active. In a September 26 journalist notebook column for The Sun, Tony Garcia wrote that Detective Rogers continued conducting interviews every single week.

14:35But really, the case just sat. By March 1997, the one-year anniversary of Amberley's death, police did have a more complete set of DNA results. And finally, it was announced that through DNA, they were able to eliminate every single member of Amberley's family as suspects. After a year of facing public scrutiny while trying to mourn Amberlee, they were finally all officially cleared by police. At this same news conference, Amberlee's parents again asked anyone with information to come forward. They also announced a$10 ,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and an indictment. Now that Amberlee's family was officially cleared in her case, the investigation could finally focus on some very disturbing accounts from both her sister Jordan and their mother Veronica.

15:26I'm going to go through four different statements made by this family, but first I want to start with what Amberlee told Jordan herself. There was a few nights where she woke me up and said, Jordan, there's somebody outside our window. And I said, what? What are you talking about? Like, you're probably just hearing some kind of noise. She goes, no, Jordan, I saw someone. But eventually, Jordan would see something suspicious for herself. I heard this like horrific scream right outside our house and it scared me and me and my sister we ran to the window to see what was going on and we see these two guys and um and one guy's like come on dude we gotta get out of here come on hurry up dude hurry up and then the other guy's like dude just calm down just calm down just walk slow again like being a little kid I didn't think to say anything to anybody we would just leave the window unlocked and go through the window, which everyone in the neighborhood could see us doing.

16:25And it wasn't only the kids who remembered strangers at their home before Amberlee was killed. Jordan remembers a story her mother told her about their dog barking after it appeared that someone was in or near their yard. Like, what is he barking at? And she thought it was like maybe a cat or something, because again, he barked at anything. But right before she walked in the house, she heard someone go, Oh, shh. Shh. Shut up, dog. The last account I want to tell you guys about is from the day Amberlee was killed. That day, Jordan and her aunt, who isn't named in this interview, went to the store.

17:02When they got back, they saw something very odd that personally, I feel if we could get to the bottom of, might just solve this case. What we thought was weird was there was a car that was parked in our driveway. and we didn't know who they were. My aunt assumed it was either some other relative or a friend or somebody, but she said that there was some guy sitting in it just kind of staring at the house. But as soon as they saw us, when we pulled up, they like took off. These are all obviously very concerning reports that needed to be followed up on. And really, now that all of Amberlee's family was cleared, it seemed like investigators were finally focusing outside of Amberlee's inner circle.

17:48Police released photographs of two men who had been in Amberlee's neighborhood around the time of the murder. Their names were David Scott Lilly and Michael O 'Gara. Police described both men as possible witnesses who may have useful information. And luckily, the media did follow this pretty closely. On March 9th, The Sun reported that Lilly had contacted the Yuma Police Department from Pennsylvania after the public appeal. A May 16th report said that Ogara had been located in another jurisdiction and had not been charged with any crime connected to Amberley's case. Three days later, The Sun reported that Ogara had been taken into custody on an unrelated 1995 disorderly conduct warrant after being returned from Mexico.

18:34Then, on June 11th, The Sun reported that medical testing had eliminated Ogara as a suspect. Now, unfortunately, as far as I could find, there were no public statements from investigators stating that David Scott Lilly had been officially cleared, but it's really the last time we hear of police asking for him to come forward. It really seems like at this point, they were back at square one just about a year after Amberley's murder, and her family, as well as the public, were still left with a lot of questions. Like, how did Amberley's killer get into the house? No forced entry would be consistent with an unlocked window.

19:13It could also be consistent with a person who was allowed inside, had routine access, or entered through another unsecured opening. The party really does feel like a huge factor here. More people around the home could make an outsider easier to notice. But movement, conversation, arrivals, departures, and disrupted routines could also provide cover. It's also possible that the person responsible was familiar with the household, but it's also possible that this was just a crime of opportunity. Now, what I find very intriguing in this case is that the official wording from investigators keeps open the possibility of more than one person.

19:55Human police often refers to an unknown subject or subjects, and the FBI refers to the individual or individuals involved. I mean, if it was more than one person, that would be consistent with Jordan's account of hearing two men outside before Amberley's murder. Of course, outside of who may have done this, there's still questions about the investigation and crime scene, specifically evidence collected or possibly left behind. Were fingerprints, fibers, soil, tool marks, or biological matter recovered from the window or screen? Could investigators determine the direction from which the screen was removed?

20:36Were accounts from everyone in the home compared independently? Did anyone remember an unusual arrival, departure, injury, cleanup, or abrupt move after March 9th? Of course, we just don't know. What we do know is that after this, Amberley's case really just sat for about a decade. That is, until new investigators on her case decide to take another look at the evidence and discover that not all of it had been tested. This episode of Voices for Justice is sponsored by HERS. If you've tried everything to lose weight and still feel stuck, this summer can be different. Weight Loss by HERS is designed to support you in reaching your goals, and they now offer access to the FDA-approved WeGovi pill and WeGovi pen.

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22:23Timberland Pro knows that NASCAR starts long before the green flag waves. Because behind every race are the doers, the people who show up to the track early and stay long after the race ends. And that's who Timberland Pro is built for. Durable, comfortable, and professional. These boots perform as hard as you do, on the job and often. Real work. Real people. Real craft. Visit TimberlandPro.com and discover products that help workers perform at their best. About 10 years after Amberlee Mendoza's murder, retired Yuma police officer Christian Segura and his partner take another look at the evidence.

23:02Segura told Alexandra Rangel for the news outlet Arizona's Family that they reviewed every item and found that only selected evidence had been tested for DNA during the original investigation. So, he submitted additional items for testing. According to Segura, the later testing produced evidence that matched the DNA from the initial investigation, and helped investigators understand more about what happened inside the room. But it still didn't give them a name. Now, I promise I'm not being intentionally vague here. The public hasn't been told which item produced that match, or what that new understanding really is.

23:41And that may be intentional. We know how these things go. Sometimes not everything is released to protect the integrity of the investigation. But we do know that this profile has continued to be run through a national database every single year. However, Segura did describe a larger problem with backlogs. He said profiles from other agencies may not be entered promptly. That means a potential match can exist in evidence somewhere without yet connecting it to Amberley's case. Which of course I think is so frustrating. To have a case with perpetrator DNA in no match feels like we are so close to solving this case.

24:22And here we're left with more questions. They don't really tell us a lot about this DNA or how it's being used. All we really know is that testing of more evidence seems to have yielded investigators some type of information that they don't want to tell us about. And since that review in 2006, it doesn't seem that much has changed, unfortunately. In 2019, the KYMA news team reported that investigators return to Amberley's case every few years. Sergeant Franklin said that many people have been interviewed, but the available evidence hasn't supported criminal charges. Fast forward about seven years later to August 5th, 2026.

24:59That's when the Yuma Police Department issued a new release for Amberley's case. The department said that it coordinated with other resources in Arizona and the FBI Phoenix field office to announce a reward of up to$30 ,000. Which is fantastic, but that's really it. The release gives a brief overview of Amberley's case and announces that there's this new reward. There's no mention of any updated investigative measures being taken, but I can say that Moses Famino and Dylan Furman reported for KYMA that Sergeant Franklin said that the case has never been forgotten, and is often reviewed with fresh eyes.

25:38Franklin is also quoted as saying that one person with one missing clue could be enough to help solve this case. And I think there's a reason that investigators keep going back to that message. Of course, DNA can identify a source, they can tell us who did this, but it may not explain how that person reached Amberley, what happened before the crime, or what another person may have known afterward. A witness can give context to forensic evidence. A private admission can be compared with facts investigators have never released. A vehicle description, calendar, photograph, letter, or corrected memory can change how a decades-old timeline is understood.

26:20Memories from 1996 don't have to be perfect to be reported. And of course, we all know that 30 years can change the reason a person was silent. This episode is brought to you by DeeDee's Discounts. Back to School season is officially here, and DeeDee's has everything on your list. I'm talking bold styles, cool kicks, backpacks, and even dorm room essentials. All the prices that won't hurt your wallet. So don't sleep on DeeDee's. Whether you've got a second grader or a sophomore, DeeDee's has your whole family covered. Find Aditi's discount store near you and go check it out today.

27:262026 marks 30 years since 10-year-old Amberlee Mendoza was killed inside of her bedroom in Yuma, Arizona. And while investigators have been pretty tight-lipped about possible theories in her case, Amberlee's sister Jordan told Molly Lange for KYMA News 11 her theory, that someone was watching and waiting for the right moment to harm her sister. I really think that it was something that was planned. And I really think it was somebody watching our home and our family for a while. And that's pretty much where Amberlee's case is today. Open with perpetrator DNA, just waiting to find a match. Now, of course, Amberlee's murder affected far more than one child.