The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for assistance from the public as it seeks to solve the nearly two-decades-old murder of 14-year-old Emmery Muñoz.
Muñoz was found dead on Jan. 25, 2006, in the loading dock area of a business at the 1500 block of Mirasol Street in Boyle Heights, police said in a news release on Wednesday.
She was last seen alive on Jan. 20 of that year in City Terrace, police said.
“The investigation has spanned over nineteen years and detectives have been unable to obtain any substantial leads in this cold case homicide,” police said.
The motive is unclear and no suspect has been identified.
The news comes as the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday unanimously voted in favor of reinstating a $50,000 reward offered for information related to the case. A reward was first offered in 2006, with several extensions through the years.
Muñoz, who was a student at Bravo Medical Magnet High School, was the subject of a 2023 LAist Studios and VICE podcast that explores the party crew scene in the 2000s and whether there was a possible connection with her death. Muñoz was a member of the Vicious Ladies party crew, according to LAist.
“The pain is the same as just like it happened yesterday,” Muñoz’s mother Maria Mejia said in a 2023 LAist news story. “I am hoping that somebody will come through now, that somebody comes forward. Maybe they were afraid to speak at the time. But any little thing can help the police now.”
Anyone with information is urged to call 213-486-8700 or 1-877-527-3247. Those wishing to be anonymous should call the L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
