Yajaira Garcia was a 17-year-old Wichita Falls High School senior found dead of a gunshot wound on Hammon Road on November 3, 2018. Deputies arriving at the scene discovered 21-year-old Joshua Cook kneeling over her body with a gun; Cook immediately confessed and was arrested. Investigators determined the weapon had been stolen earlier that day from a nightstand in a Wichita Falls home Cook did not have permission to enter, and he was charged with murder and burglary of a habitation.

Cook’s case moved toward trial but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020 he pleaded guilty to the murder as part of a plea agreement; the burglary charge was dismissed. Cook was sentenced to 50 years in prison with parole eligibility after 25 years. The Wichita County District Attorney said the Garcia family was consulted and agreed to the plea; Yajaira’s mother, Mayela Garcia, has said the family still wants to know why this happened and continues to honor Yajaira’s memory and advocate against gun violence.

Did anyone in Wichita Falls have contact with Yajaira in the days before November 3, 2018 who might add context to what led to that morning?