Jessica Martinez

Do you know who murdered Jessica Martinez in 1990?
Jessica Martinez was a beautiful, four-year-old Hispanic girl with a cherubic face, the only daughter in her family. Her mother, Nellie Mesa, remembers her as everything a mother could want in a daughter. Jessica loved her mother and her brothers dearly, and though her family only had her for four years, her mother can still hear her little voice. The last words Jessica ever said to her mother before she left for work were, "I love you mom."

On the morning of May 10, 1990, Jessica was playing with other children, making mud pies outside her family’s apartment in the 5000 block of Belle Terrace in Bakersfield, California. Other adults were supervising the children while her mother was at work. Suddenly, she was gone. Her disappearance triggered a massive search effort that drew national attention, with her case even featured on the television show "America's Most Wanted." For eleven agonizing days, her family and the community searched for the little girl, hoping for her safe return. The search came to a tragic end on May 21, 1990. A farmworker driving a tractor in a cotton field off Bear Mountain Boulevard near Highway 99, about 10 miles from her home, discovered Jessica's body partially buried in a shallow grave. An autopsy would later confirm she had been murdered and had been dead for several days before she was found.

The Bakersfield Police Department launched an investigation that has now spanned more than three decades. Over the years, numerous detectives have handled the thick binders that make up Jessica's case file. One person of interest has been Christopher Lightsey, a convicted sex offender who lived in the same apartment complex as Jessica's family at the time of her abduction. Lightsey was questioned, but DNA found on Jessica's shoe did not match his, and he has never been charged in connection with her death. He remains on death row for the unrelated 1993 murder of his elderly neighbor. Another potential suspect was identified by a former Kings County sheriff's commander, Mark Bingaman. He believed Gene McCurdy, a Navy Petty Officer convicted of the 1995 murder of another young girl, may have been a serial killer responsible for other deaths, including Jessica's. Bingaman noted that McCurdy had family in Bakersfield and often returned for holidays, pointing out that Jessica was taken just before Mother's Day. However, this lead has not resulted in charges.

The case has resonated deeply within the Bakersfield community, with some parents keeping their children from playing outdoors for a time, fearful that what happened to Jessica could happen to them. Jessica's mother, Nellie Mesa, has become a powerful advocate for her daughter, determined to be her voice. "She's gone, so I'm her voice," Mesa has said. For over 30 years, she has consistently pushed the Bakersfield Police Department for answers and has become a prominent presence at the annual Victim's Rights March in downtown Bakersfield, keeping her daughter's memory alive and giving back to the community that supported her through her grief.

Despite the passage of time, the investigation into Jessica's murder remains open and active. Investigators are hopeful that advances in DNA technology could one day lead to a breakthrough. The family's persistence and the police department's continued work led them to request assistance from the state.

In October 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Jessica's murder. This is in addition to a $10,000 reward offered by the Kern County Secret Witness program, bringing the total to $60,000. Authorities hope this substantial reward will encourage someone to finally come forward with the information needed to solve the case. "We're hoping to build upon that," a Bakersfield police detective said of the information they already have. For Nellie Mesa, an arrest would mean her job as her daughter's advocate is done. "We don't talk about what happened to her," she said through tears. "She lives in my heart."

As of May 2026, Jessica Martinez's killer has not been brought to justice. The Bakersfield Police Department continues to urge anyone with information, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward. Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call the Bakersfield Police Department at (661) 327-7111 or the Kern County Secret Witness program at (661) 322-4040.