SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The busy area of 7500 Mission Valley Road, now filled with homes, was once a dirt field and the scene of a homicide 30 years ago.
"Back on March 4, 1992, a little after seven in the morning, some passerby’s discovered the body of Maria Cortes," said Tony Johnson, a senior investigator with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.
Maria Blanca Cortes, 23, was described as a hardworking and devoted mother. Johnson said she lived with her boyfriend, the father of her child, in East San Diego. Cortes worked as a housekeeper and was taking sewing classes at the time.
"She worked hard, she had ambition, she wanted to do something with her life," said Johnson.
Cortes was last seen alive on the evening of March 3, 1992, after picking up her two-year-old daughter from a family member's home and walking toward Morena Blvd. Her boyfriend was at work in Rancho Bernardo at the time, according to investigators.
"We’re thinking that maybe she took the bus as far as Mission Valley, and she accepted a ride," said Johnson. "The only thing that hurt Maria was she didn’t have a car."
Johnson said Cortes took buses to and around but, unfortunately, also had a habit of accepting rides from strangers, which may have been what happened the evening she was last seen.
"It seems certain that she was picked up in some vehicle and driven to that location. We don’t know whether she knew the person or whether it was a stranger ride, there were tire tracks in the mud because it was a rainy night, so it looks like she was driven out to that area and murdered," said Johnson.
The next morning, ABC 10News spoke with a bicyclist in the area of 7500 Mission Valley Road, one of several passersby who made the discovery: Cortes lifeless, with her daughter sitting on her body.
"I rode my bike into the field, I was expecting a homeless person, and I was just going to see if they were okay. And when I got about maybe 10 feet away, I saw it was a little girl, who was bloody, who was sitting on a body… and she just turned and looked at me," said the bicyclist.
An autopsy later revealed that Cortes was stabbed and strangled.
No DNA evidence from the offender was apparent at the time, and the case has been cold for 30 years, but recent developments in technology could eventually mean a break in the case.
"There have been a number of developments in forensics over the last few years. One of the big developments is the ability to get DNA from rootless hairs," said Johnson.
That's significant in Cortes's case because investigators did find a few hairs on Cortes that did not match hers. Johnson said they are currently working on getting the hair processed to see if they can get a DNA profile, but they still need the public's help.
"We’re hoping the public can maybe give us a new lead or give us a new piece of information that we can start the investigation all over again," he said. Johnson's asking anyone who may remember something helpful, even a small detail from that night, to come forward.
"Any little tiny piece could help, could give us a direction to go in, could give us a new way to look at the case," he said. "We’ve met with the family recently, they’re very motivated to see the case solved, in particular the daughter, who wants nothing more than to find out who killed her mom."
Anyone who has a tip they would like to report can call the San Diego Police Department's Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293. To report an anonymous tip, call Crimestoppers at 888-580-8477.
