Sara Alvarez, 16, was shot to death at an condo advanced in August 2020. Her accused killer continues to be on the market.
DALLAS —
On Wednesday afternoon, the Alvarez household gathered on the place they go to each Sunday.
On Dia de Los Muertos, the go to to their daughter Sara Alvarez’s grave felt completely different.
Mariachi music stuffed the quiet space, and dozens of household picnics surrounded gravesites at Calvary Hill Cemetery in Dallas.
A spot usually related with unhappiness felt just a little brighter for Sara’s mom, Janet Valleza.
“I feel like my daughter is here with us,” Valleza mentioned in Spanish.
Valleza, her husband and kids adorned her gravesite with an ofrenda, or providing. Orange marigold flowers introduced shade to her burial website. The Lewisville mom positioned her daughter’s favourite issues on the ofrenda, reminiscent of Starbucks espresso, fruit and a music speaker.
Sara liked music. The 16-year-old dreamed of going to cosmetology faculty and couldn’t wait to find out how to drive. When she turned 16, she begged her mom to let her get her first job.
All of that modified on Aug. 15, 2020, when Sara’s life was taken in a matter of minutes.
It occurred throughout a go to with household. Sara and her cousins performed hide-and- search on the Lakeside residences on Community Drive in Dallas.
That’s when gunshots rang out and Sara was caught in the crossfire. Valleza advised WFAA her daughter was an harmless bystander.
Dallas police recognized her killer as 29-year-old Jose Mancha-Solis, however two years later, he hasn’t been discovered.
“I know I’ll never get my daughter back, but there needs to be justice,” Valleza mentioned.
Without closure, her daughter’s death continues to be tough to course of.
“It’s been two years, but it still feels like yesterday,” Valleza mentioned.
As households stuffed the cemetery, every of them had a narrative of loss, however for a couple of hours, the Valleza-Alvarez household tried to deal with their completely happy recollections with Sara.
As the mariachi band performed the favored music “Amor Eterno” over her daughter’s colourful grave, Valleza cried.
It was a juxtaposition of grief and pleasure.
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