Police Continue Hunt for Clues in Slain Girl’s Car

Investigators continued searching for clues in a car found abandoned in San Diego County, hoping to find some trace of the killer who fatally stabbed a 16-year-old Huntington Beach girl earlier this month.

Two police identification technicians and several detectives spent Thursday searching for possible fingerprints, trace evidence and items left by the killer, Police Lt. John Woods said. Investigators believe the killer stabbed Mary Irene Lewis 16 times June 20 and then drove off in her car, which was found Wednesday by El Cajon police about 25 miles north of Mexico, Woods said.

So far, investigators have not been able to find any blood drops inside the vehicle, but further forensic tests are being conducted, Woods said.

The Nissan Sentra was reported as an abandoned vehicle by the manager of the apartment complex where it was found, Woods said. Authorities believe the car had been in the apartment’s parking lot for several days before it was reported.

“We’re not exactly sure when it was first sighted. We haven’t gotten that fully tied down,” Woods said. “We’re still in the process of making our contacts down there.”

Authorities said the killer could have gone to Mexico, but “if that’s what he wanted to do, why not just park the car two miles away?” Woods said. “I mean 20-something miles is still a long way to walk.”

Arturo Cardenas, 48, of El Cajon said he and his neighbors first noticed the car about a week ago. Cardenas said he decided to call police because he suspected that the car might have been stolen from elsewhere.

“When the officers saw the car, one of them told me that it had been involved in a homicide case,” Cardenas said. “I had no idea.”

While the car was being searched for evidence Thursday, investigators continued interviewing Lewis’ friends who had seen her earlier the night she died.

The Huntington Beach High School student was last seen by a friend about 9:30 p.m. She called home to check in with her parents about 11 p.m., two hours before a passing motorist found her body in a pool of blood on a sidewalk near Brookhurst Way and Acacia Avenue. Investigators said they have not been able to map out events in the last two hours before her death.

Friends and family have since rallied together to help find the killer, passing out flyers printed with her photo and establishing a reward fund. Officials at St. Bonaventure Church, where Lewis attended Mass, are talking about establishing a program to reduce youth violence.

Theresa Avera-Schreiber, youth minister at the church, said, “Kids are dying. They’re not just hitting each other, they’re using lethal weapons. And as a church, we need to do something to try and stop that.”

Donations to the reward fund can be sent to Bank of America, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, CA 92647.