FULLERTON : Slain Student Recalled as Dedicated

Cathy Torrez, the Cal State Fullerton honor student slain nearly two months ago, was remembered at a memorial service Wednesday as a dedicated and caring person whose smile touched many hearts.

“All of us at Cal State Fullerton were both shocked and overcome with grief when we learned of the tragic, senseless and untimely death of Cathy,” said the university’s president, Milton A. Gordon. “Cathy was a student whom we pointed to with pride, because she was an exemplary role model for other students.”

About 100 people--friends, faculty and administrators at Cal State Fullerton--attended the service in Titan Pavilion on campus. They were asked to contribute to the Cathy Torrez Memorial Scholarship fund, which has already raised about $1,000.

The service was also intended to keep Torrez’s memory fresh until the mystery surrounding her death can be solved.

The body of Torrez, a 20-year-old sociology student, was found in the trunk of her red 1990 Toyota Corolla on Feb. 19 in the parking lot of Placentia-Linda Community Hospital. She was last seen driving her car on Feb. 12, when she disappeared after leaving her job at a Sav-On Drug Store on Yorba Linda Boulevard.

Later Wednesday, Torrez was recognized by the Placentia City Council and a local Girl Scout troop that planted a tree in her memory at Kramer Park. The tree is visible from the home, which faces the park, of Torrez’s mother and stepfather.

“On a good day, the tree will be helpful. On bad days, I hope it gives me strength,” said Mary Bennett, the dead girl’s mother. “I can look out and see it from my window and my front porch and it will serve as an inspiration to never give up the fight to find the person or persons responsible for Cathy’s death.”

Placentia Police Chief Manuel Ortega said that while the search for Torrez’s killer continues, he has reduced the number of investigators looking into Torrez’s death.

Torrez, who had recently been honored as one of Cal State Fullerton’s top sociology students, had planned to be a social worker or juvenile probation officer.

“I met Cathy once and was so impressed by her,” said Delicia Rich, a Cal State Fullerton secretary in the student affairs office. “She was a tiny, little thing and all you could see was her big smile. . . . We need to keep her memory alive to, hopefully, find out what happened to her.”

Torrez had spent many years as a volunteer tutor and worked as a bilingual aide in two Placentia schools.

Torrez’s sister, Tina Lopez, said her sister valued education, noting that the scholarship fund will allow someone else to pursue the dreams that for Torrez were violently cut short.

“We’re still hoping and praying that whoever killed my sister will be brought to justice,” Martin Torrez said.