PLACENTIA : Police Hope Photo Will Lead to Killer
The family of a slain Cal State Fullerton honor student and police released a photograph of the young woman’s car Monday, hoping somebody will remember something that will help catch her killer.
Cathy Torrez, 20, was driving her red 1990 Toyota Corolla on Feb. 12 when she disappeared after leaving her job at the Sav-on Drug Store at Yorba Linda Boulevard and Bradford Avenue at 8 p.m.
Her body was found Feb. 19 in the trunk of the car in the front parking lot of the Placentia-Linda Medical Building. She had been stabbed. The building is part of the Placentia-Linda Community Hospital complex at 1301 N. Rose Drive. A doctor told police the car had been parked in the lot since at least Feb. 14.
“We have some leads, but we are still missing some pieces of the puzzle,” Detective Donna Rose said. “Maybe somebody was taking their kid to the emergency room and saw something and this picture will help them remember.”
Mary Bennett, Torrez’s mother, said she hopes the crime will be solved soon.
“We need to know what happened,” she said. “We need justice.”
Sav-on, the city of Placentia and the union of which Torrez was a member have combined to donate $30,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer.
Detectives can be reached at (714) 993-8146 or (714) 993-8164. A 24-hour anonymous tip line is also available at (714) 993-8226.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
