PORT HUENEME : Family Appeals to Public for Clues in Killing

Frustrated by the lack of progress by the police, the family of Norma Rodriquez on Saturday began knocking on doors in a mass public appeal to find the killer who strangled Rodriquez in her Port Hueneme home last month.

Rodriquez’s two sons, ages 4 and 11, joined 15 other family members in passing out flyers to residents in Port Hueneme and Oxnard, hoping to locate someone who could identify the person who killed the 32-year-old mother June 1.

“I don’t want it to just be swept under the carpet,” said Frances Garcia, Rodriquez’s sister. “I want the public to know she was loved and we’re going to miss her a lot and we are going to try to do as much as we can to catch the murderer.”

By 3 p.m. they had exhausted their supply of 900 flyers and vowed to continue their efforts over the next few weeks.

“You never know what could turn up,” Garcia said. “Someone may have heard something, and if they know about what happened maybe they’ll call in.”

Police supported the family’s effort, saying the campaign “couldn’t hurt.”

“Sometimes, in cases like this, people may be willing to approach them before they approach us,” Port Hueneme Police Sgt. Fernando Estrella said.

Estrella said that, to this point, the investigation is “not even close” to resolution, but police are continuing to work aggressively on the case. They have interviewed about 50 people and have begun to focus on a handful of potential suspects.

“I think they’re doing the best they can with such a small department,” Garcia said. “But whoever did this is still out there.”

“I just hope we take him off of the streets,” she said. “I don’t want another family to go through what we did.”