Sandy Michelle Cervantes, 32 and Hispanic, was killed in Lubbock, Texas; her death is treated as a homicide. Events began on June 20, 2019, when two men approached Sandy and another person, David Rodriguez, with a gun. Her purse was later recovered in a dumpster in Abernathy.

Sandy’s vehicle was found fully engulfed on Cesar E. Chavez Drive on June 24, 2019; police believed the fire was set to destroy evidence. Her remains were recovered in an abandoned Hockley County house on April 14, 2020. Family members reported her missing to her probation officer in August 2019, but a formal police investigation did not begin until February 2020.

One suspect, Brandon Jay Cruz, was arrested in July 2019 on other armed robbery charges; investigators say they found evidence in his apartment linking him to Sandy’s abduction. A witness reportedly told police Cruz and co-defendant Pablo Reyes shot Sandy. Cruz later admitted abducting her but claimed he released her; he pleaded guilty to capital murder and received life without parole. Reyes has been linked to other shootings and robbery convictions, and his status in Sandy’s case is described as ongoing.

If anyone knew Sandy or has information about what happened on or around June 20, 2019, please come forward with tips for investigators.