Laura Morales

Do you know who murdered 35 year old Laura Elena Morales in 2000?
Laura Elena Morales, a 35-year-old Hispanic woman, lived with her husband and children in a quiet residential neighborhood in Riverside, California. Those who knew her remembered her as a vibrant and caring individual. Her life was centered around her family in their home on Doverwood Drive, a street like many others in the sprawling city east of Los Angeles.

The afternoon of Sunday, July 23, 2000, was the last time her home would feel like a place of security. While Laura remained at home alone, her husband and children went out for the day. When they returned shortly after 5 p.m., they made a horrifying discovery. Inside the house, in the 11100 block of Doverwood Drive, they found Laura deceased. She had suffered obvious and severe trauma to her body, and it was immediately clear she was the victim of a violent homicide.

Riverside Police Department officers and detectives responded to the family's frantic 911 call and quickly launched a homicide investigation. The scene revealed the brutal nature of the attack; a later city resolution would state that Laura had sustained multiple stab wounds to her chest and had been sexually assaulted. As investigators processed the home for evidence, they collected DNA that would prove crucial to the case, though it would not lead to a swift resolution.

In the early stages of the investigation, detectives uncovered a potential and alarming link to another violent crime that had occurred less than a year earlier. On August 10, 1999, a sexual assault had taken place just a mile from the Morales family's home. The DNA evidence collected from Laura's murder scene was eventually matched to DNA from the 1999 rape, confirming that the same unknown assailant was responsible for both attacks. This link provided investigators with their only description of the suspect.

The victim of the earlier assault described her attacker as a Hispanic male, approximately 25 years old at the time of the 1999 attack. He was said to be about five feet, nine inches tall with a "chubby" build, black hair, and brown eyes. Based on this description, a composite sketch of the suspect was created and released to the public, but it did not generate the leads needed to identify the man.

Years passed, and despite numerous interviews and follow-ups, Laura's murder case grew cold. In December 2004, the City Council of Riverside approved a $15,000 reward for information leading to the identity and apprehension of the person responsible for her death. Still, no arrests were made. The case remains with the Riverside Police Department's Homicide Cold Case Unit, which continues to review the evidence, hoping that advances in scientific technology and a fresh look at the file might finally yield a breakthrough.

As of today, the murder of Laura Elena Morales remains unsolved. Detectives are confident that someone, somewhere has information that could bring a resolution to the case and deliver justice to Laura and the family whose lives were shattered on that summer evening. The Riverside Police Department urges anyone with information about this investigation or the linked sexual assault to contact the Homicide Cold Case Unit at (951) 320-8000 or by email at [email protected].