FALLBROOK, Calif. (KGTV) - A beloved North County restaurant worker and single mom of four is being remembered, less than a week after she was murdered as she went out to dinner.
A photo taken in April shows a smiling Mayra Mejia, along with her boss and friend, Gina Stavrakis, the owner of Main Street Cafe in Fallbrook.
“If she’s near you, you’re going to be affected by her smile, by her light, her energy,” said Stavrakis.
Five days ago, Stavrakis learned that light had been snuffed out by violence.
“We're all very emotional. We’re all very distraught,” said Stavrakis.
On Wednesday evening, along S. Santa Fe Avenue in Vista, according to sources, witnesses saw Mejia eating at a restaurant with a man. Afterward, and just before 8 p.m., she was seen fighting with someone in the parking lot.
Deputies say she suffered trauma to her upper body and died at the hospital.
The exact cause of death has yet to be released. Her attacker took off.
“She was the sunshine. For her not to be here every day when we come in, it’s tough,” said Stavrakis, choking back tears.
Stavrakis says the 41-year-old Mejia, who worked as a busser at the Main Street Cafe for seven years, was a fixture in the community.
“She made sure to have contact with all customers. She went to the tables and talked to people. She was sociable, loving, and caring,” said Stavrakis.
Stavrakis says Mejia was a devoted, single mom of 4 children, ages 9 to 19, and always willing to work extra hours or other jobs.
“If somebody needed help cleaning houses or whatever, she did it, and she did it to provide for them,” said Stavrakis.
The life of that mother was cut short by an act of violence, as she was dining out.
“She was robbed of her life. Her kids were robbed of their mother, and the memories and good times to come,” said Stavrakis.
On Monday afternoon, detectives confirmed a suspect had been identified, but the name is being withheld for investigative reasons.
They continue to appeal to the public for information.
“Please come forward. Just want her family to have peace,” said Stavrakis.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
