The family of a man killed in Chula Vista 13 years ago is hoping a new billboard and $10,000 reward will unearth new leads in the case.
Salvador Mercado would be in his late 30s today, raising a teenaged daughter. Instead, his life was cut short at 25, leaving his daughter with no memory of the man who should’ve raised her.
His unknown killer remains on the loose and his family is determined to do everything to change that.
They believe so much in finding a resolution to his case that they put up $9,000 for a reward. CrimeStoppers added the $1,000, bringing the total to $10,000.
“There has to be someone who saw something, there has to be, it can’t have just gone unnoticed,” said Angelina Najera, Mercado’s sister who was 15 at the time of his death.
Mercado was stabbed outside a home along the 800 block of Harris Avenue on Nov. 16, 2003. He was attending a Quinceanera party when uninvited guests showed up, crashing the party.
A fight broke out inside the home and guests dispersed. In the chaos that ensued outside the home, Mercado was stabbed in the street. He later died at the hospital.
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The case remains unsolved and detectives continue to look for eyewitnesses or news tips.
While a CrimeStoppers spokesperson said investigates have seen a San Diego homicide get solved as a result of a billboard, the family is hopeful.
It was the family who organized and funded putting up the billboard, as well.
“People that were there had the opportunity to grow up, maybe to find a little stronger morals and conscience and maybe build their own families and have learned what it is to love a child” said Maria Najera, Mercado’s mom. “We’re not going to heal, we’re not going to stop thinking about it, it’s always gonna hurt, but finding his killer will be a start.”
