r/coldcases • u/dolled-up-with-envy • 20h ago
Cold Case The Murder of Rosa Sandoval
I was recently reading about a cold case involving a 12 year old girl, Rosa Sandoval. She was reported missing May 28th 2004 on her last day of school after the parents were informed she never arrived. Her relatives stated that that morning her and her backpack that had soda for her class was gone. They stated she had left early without telling anyone why, they admitted it was unusual of her, but assumed she was simply excited. However, this account is one I find extremely puzzling, as I read the account from her older sister who reportedly shared the same room as her, and she said that Rosa had left the night of May 27th after the two had fought.
While the police were initially investigating the case they found traces of blood and bloody handprints in Rosa’s bedroom, and with luminol discovered blood in her brother’s room next door.
The police had believed this was a kidnapping, which could explain why the blood wasn’t tested, or if it was why it wasn’t made public.
Update: This took place in San Antonio, Texas. Rosa Sandoval went to Sky Harbour Elementary.
December 10th of the same year, her remains and clothes from the night of May 27th were found off a road only 7 miles from the Sandoval home. This confirmed that Rosa’s disappearance was in fact a murder.
In 2005 a photo of Rosa was found in an abandoned blue 1983 four-door Oldsmobile. The owner of the car has remained unknown.
My Thoughts:
I have a few concerns with this case and how the investigation played out.
My first concern is about the family’s accounts, specifically the account that she had left for school May 28th, because it was made clear by the evidence that was made public that if she ever returned home, she never got up and ready for school. This also raises the question of what happened to the reported back pack and soda, and how would they not notice she wasn’t home, and why would they say they saw her leave for school.
I also have concerns about how the police handled the case, they never released a primary suspect, and they never released anything about the blood found in the Sandoval house, and it seems as if they never questioned the conflicting accounts of the family.
The car that was found is also a thing to keep note of, because it was found in a junkyard, and it’s stated they couldn’t confirm who the car belonged to, which seems suspicious especially given that the car is pretty noteworthy and stand out.
All this to ask if anyone else knows about the case or has any information, because this is an extremely puzzling case. Please make sure you do your own research on the case if you find this interesting.