Parents of a North County woman murder in a Valentine’s Day killing five years ago are asking for help to solve the case.
Jodi Serrin, 39, was found in her Carlsbad condo raped, beaten and strangled.
Her parents, Art and Lois Serrin, actually stumbled on the crime when it happened but, thinking they had interrupted their daughter with a beau, had no idea the suspect in the crime would escape right under their noses.
Jodi Serrin, a mentally disabled woman, was also Art and Lois Serrin's youngest daughter.
She didn't let a mental disability, stop her from trying to live a productive life.
"She did really well, but life could be a struggle for her at times," Lois Serrin told NBCSanDiego.
Jodi suffered from Schizophrenia and couldn't drive, but she was still able to live on her own in a condo in South Carlsbad.
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On Valentines Day 2007, Lois got a bad feeling, so she and Art stopped by to check in on Jodi.
Inside her condo, they called for Jodi but their daughter wouldn't open her bedroom door.
“So at that point I did and looked in and saw the monster if you will," Art Serrin said.
Art saw a man in that dimly lit room and immediately thought he had accidentally
caught his daughter in a private moment with her boyfriend.
So he told the man to get his pants on and get out.
Believing they had stepped into an embarrassing situation, Art and Lois waited in another room for Jodi and the man to come out.
He left without being seen but they soon realized their daughter had been brutally murdered in that bedroom.
"There is an anger,” said Art Serrin. “There is a frustration. There is a need for revenge."
But Jodi's parents have never gotten that satisfaction.
The killer left behind DNA evidence, but investigators couldn't find a match in the national criminal database.
The case is at a standstill.
"I know Art and Lois are surprised,” said Carlsbad Det. Bryan Hargett. “It’s a hard thing to tell them that we don't have any more info, there are no new developments in this case."
That's why Jodi's parents are hoping someone will come forward, and give them closure.
"I feel somebody's got to know something,” Lois Serrin said. “That's all we need it a break."
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