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‘I Just Want Her Back’: Aspiring Teen Influencer Found Dead In Car, Was Shot Multiple Times
Itzel Espinoza, 17, was reported missing by her father and stepmother before being found slain in a Phoenix alleyway.
An Arizona family is desperate for answers after their beloved teen relative was found dead inside a car over the holiday weekend.
Itzel Espinoza, 17, found inside a parked car in a Phoenix alley early Saturday, local outlet KSAZ-TV reports. She had been shot multiple times.
"That vehicle does not belong to her. It's not our victim's vehicle," Sgt. Mercedes Fortune with the Phoenix Police Department told the outlet on Monday. "We know that after we confirmed her identity, that she was a reported missing juvenile. Her family had reported her missing."
Espinoza's father and her stepmom reported her missing on Thursday after she didn’t return from an outing with friends, AZFamily reports.
The teen was gearing up for her senior year at Dysart High School in El Mirage this fall. She would have turned 18 in September.
"I miss everything, I just want her back and I can't," Elizabeth Diaz, Espinoza’s mother told KSAZ.
She said that all she wants is “justice.”
"She didn't get to marry,” the grieving mother said. “She didn't get to have kids. She didn't have that chance to live life like everyone.”
Eduardo Espinoza, Espinoza’s father, told AZFamily that his daughter was an aspiring social media model and influencer. She currently has over 68,000 followers on her Instagram.
Eduardo told AZFamily that he struggles to deal with the realization that his young daughter is "never coming back."
He expressed that he feels as though his daughter had been hanging with the wrong crowd.
"All young girls and all young adults out there, your parents care for you,” he told the outlet. "They want the best for you. They want you to be a teenager, enjoy your best years. Go out and have fun but have a limit, you know. Come home."
Eduardo is pleading with the public to come forward with any information about Itzel's death.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Phoenix Police Department at 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at either 480-WITNESS (948-6377) or 1-800-343-TIPS (8477). Spanish speakers may call 480-TESTIGO (837-8446).
