Amythest Rochelle Cortez was 27 and pregnant when she was shot and killed on August 4, 2020. The shooting occurred around 1 a.m. on 20th Century Boulevard in Turlock, California. Officers found Cortez inside a car with at least one gunshot wound; she and her unborn child were pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a local hospital.

Turlock Police investigators identified 29-year-old Robert Penaloza Jr. of Turlock as the primary suspect. Penaloza reportedly fled to Mexico after the shooting; he was later located in Tijuana, arrested by Mexican authorities and extradited to the U.S. He was booked into Stanislaus County Jail on charges including two counts of murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The motive has not been disclosed and the investigation remains open.

If anyone has information about Amythest, her movements that night, or the events on 20th Century Boulevard, please share what is known with investigators.