Sandra Resendez was 13 when she was shot and killed on January 26, 1996, in Landers, California. According to accounts, her stepfather, Martin Mendoza-Garcia, carried out a violent attack driven by escalating domestic tensions and a history of abuse. Sandra, her brother Erik Resendez, and their cousin Wendy Cervantes were all fatally wounded as the children were getting into a car to go to school; Sandra was shot in the head. A 7-year-old son was injured but survived.

Mendoza-Garcia reportedly travelled from Nevada to Landers with his nephew, Jose Soria Delgado, who drove him to the scene. Deputies shot and wounded Mendoza-Garcia as he tried to flee; he was arrested and later convicted of first-degree murder for Sandra’s, Erik’s and Wendy’s deaths and of attempted murder for the injured children and other family members. Delgado was arrested and charged for his role in transporting Mendoza-Garcia and held accountable as an accomplice.

Anyone with memories of Sandra or information about the family’s life in Landers around January 1996 is asked to share what they know.