Jalia Marrero, 18, who had been missing since early May after witnessing her father’s murder, was found dead on June 6.
Police officials located Marrero’s body near a wooded area in North Buffalo.
Marrero’s family reported her missing on May 21, but their last encounter with her was around May 9 or 10.
According to Buffalo News, Police said Marrero watched her father, Luis Marrero, 39, get fatally shot on May 4 in her Ferry-Grider Homes apartment. Marrero spoke to police regarding her father’s murder and gave them a witness statement.
Her loved ones lost contact with her less than a week after the incident when Marrero was supposed to meet them at the funeral parlor on May 12 for her father’s arrangements.
A cousin of Luis Marrero said they began to worry once they lost contact but did not want to be named for her safety.
“That’s when we started to get worried,” she said.
Pastor Tim Newkirk of GYC Ministries, who is assisting the family during this time, wants justice for Marrero.
“What happened? We’re here and we want to know,” he said to Buffalo News. “And the world should want to know, also,” he added.
Police say Marrero’s body was discovered 33 days behind a commercial plaza on Delaware Avenue.
According to The Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office, Marrero’s autopsy has not reached a final determination.
Homicide officials told Marrero’s family that she had been dead for a while before her body was found in a shallow grave.
The family has an idea of who killed Luis Marrero, believing the same person killed Jalia.
Marrero’s family is concerned and frightened because the killer remains on the street.
A motive in connection with the killings has not been linked. Buffalo police have not arrested anyone for the double homicide yet, and the investigation is pending.
