A woman is attacked and killed outside of a bar
On a cool autumn evening in San Antonio, a night out with friends ended in an act of sudden, brutal violence that claimed the life of 23-year-old Teresa Enriquez. For decades, her family has been left with unanswered questions about who took the young woman, known to some as Teri, from them and why.
The night of Friday, November 20, 1987, found Teresa at the Our Place Bar, located at 115 General Krueger on the city's North Side. After spending about half an hour with her friends, she grew tired and decided to step out of the smoky bar to get some rest. She went to the parking lot to lie down in a 1988 Suzuki Samurai, placing the keys in the ignition and reclining the driver's seat. It was a decision made for comfort that left her vulnerable to a predator lurking in the shadows of the parking lot.
Shortly after, two customers arriving at the bar witnessed a horrifying scene. They saw a man inside the Suzuki with Teresa, viciously beating her. Not fully understanding what they were seeing, they rushed inside the bar to get help. When patrons and staff poured out into the parking lot, the attacker was seen fleeing the scene. A woman chased after him as he ran north across Blanco Road and disappeared down an alley, but he managed to escape.
Returning to the vehicle, the group found Teresa grievously injured. They moved her from the car to the ground to administer first aid, and it was then they realized she had been stabbed. Emergency services were called, and Teresa was rushed to a nearby hospital. Despite their efforts, she succumbed to her injuries, which were later determined to be two stab wounds to the heart. The initial police theory was that the attack may have been a carjacking gone wrong, as her money and jewelry were left untouched.
The San Antonio Police Department launched an immediate investigation, canvassing the area and searching the alley where the suspect was last seen. They interviewed people who lived and worked nearby, and even questioned a car thief who had been arrested for a crime in the same parking lot. The attacker was described by witnesses as a slender white or Hispanic male in his early to mid-20s, standing between 5'6" and 5'7" and weighing 120-130 pounds. He had clean-cut, dirty blond hair and was wearing a long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans. Despite the description and the police efforts, leads quickly dried up, and no arrests were made. Teresa Enriquez's case grew cold, filed away with other unsolved homicides.
For nearly three decades, the case remained dormant. Then, in November 2015, the San Antonio Police Department's Cold Case Unit announced they had reopened the investigation. Detective Michael DeLeon stated that while not much evidence was left at the scene, what they did have could be re-tested using modern forensic technology that was unavailable in 1987. "Suspects can't keep quiet. They always tell somebody," Detective DeLeon said, expressing hope that someone, somewhere, had information that could finally lead to a breakthrough. He emphasized that even if the killer was already in prison or had passed away, solving the case was about providing closure for Teresa's family, who had never stopped grieving their loss.
As of the latest available information, the investigation into Teresa Enriquez's murder remains open. The San Antonio Police Department continues to seek information from the public that could bring a resolution to this decades-old case. Anyone with information is urged to contact the department's Cold Case Tip Line.
