Kathia Alejandra Lopez Leon was 24 and from Phoenix when her life was taken; her body was found on February 28, 2016, and that day is recorded as her date of death. Statewide violent-death records list her death as a death by force and include her among unsolved or still-investigated homicides, but the listing and public memorials do not disclose where she was discovered, how she was killed, or what led to her death.

An online obituary from a Phoenix funeral home emphasizes remembrance and mourning, with family and friends leaving memories and messages that describe a dearly loved young woman.