Family Pleads For Justice In Unsolved Murder Of Young Mother
ELYSIAN VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — The family of a young mother murdered over a year ago is pleading for the public's help in bringing her killer to justice.
Darlene Duran, the mother of 22-year-old Bree'anna Guzman, told CBS2's Juan Fernandez she thinks of her every day.
"I just want justice," she said. "Because they took a really big part of our lives."
The young mother of two was last seen alive the day after Christmas in 2011, when she left her Lincoln Heights home on Humboldt Street and walked to a nearby Rite Aid. She never returned.
A month later, Guzman's partially-clothed body was found dumped near an on-ramp to the 2 Freeway near Riverside Drive in Echo Park.
"Every day, I think about our loss," said her mother.
Guzman was the mother of two young girls, now 6 and 3. Her mother said the girls miss their mother, often coloring and leaving drawings on a makeshift shrine in their apartment.
"It does break my heart knowing that at some point, mom's not really there to share all of the beautiful memories as they get older," Duran said.
A $75,000 award has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Though investigators continue to receive tips, no arrests have been made.
Family and friends plan to hold another vigil next Friday evening to raise awareness about the case and the reward money. The vigil is scheduled for 7p.m. at Allesandro Elementary School, across the street from where her body was found.
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