TOMBALL, Texas – State and federal agencies have now been added to help solve Elizabeth Barraza’s murder case.
Elizabeth was 29 years old when she was gunned down outside of her Tomball home five years ago while setting up for a garage sale.
Now, almost five years later, there are still no arrests made in the case. But, there is a $50,000 reward being offered for any information leading to an arrest of a suspect.
Elizabeth’s family has never stopped fighting for justice. They described her life as a fairytale.
“She had a really great life. She loved her life,” said Elizabeth’s father, Bob Nuelle.
“She was funny and she was just a joy to be around,” said Barraza’s mother, Rosemary Nuelle.
The woman known to many as “Liz” was preparing for her fifth anniversary with her husband, Sergio Barraza, before she was murdered.
“We were going to Florida. Liz and I were both just simple, normal people who lived a good, simple life,” said Sergio.
To make some extra money for their anniversary trip, Liz planned a garage sale on Friday, Jan. 5, 2019.
“It was a normal day. She got Starbucks before the garage sale, got back to the house and I helped her set up the big items and then kissed her and said goodbye and left for work,” said Sergio.
Once Sergio arrived at work, he said he and his wife’s parents started receiving alerts on their phones.
“My phone beeped to say that I had a message. So, I checked it out, and it was a notification that her alarm had gone off,” said Rosemary.
The family said they were greeted by a crime scene and were informed Elizabeth had been shot and rushed to the hospital.
“So, I started driving home, and as I was driving home, I was reviewing more and more of the ring door footage until I found that or heard her scream and the gunshots in it. My world just stopped right in my heart, like, skipped,” said Sergio.
One of the couple’s neighbors’ surveillance video caught the entire shooting on camera. It later became one of the investigator’s biggest pieces of evidence.
Sgt. Michael Ritchie with Homicide and Sgt. Jeff Thomas with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Squad was at the scene from day one.
“My initial thought when I watched that video was, I really thought, I’m going to have this solved today,” said Sgt. Ritchie.
The video showed a possible black Nissan Frontier truck pulling onto the couple’s street moments after Sergio left.
“So, they were like waiting for me to leave, which is just insane,” said Sergio.
In the video, the driver is seen approaching Liz’s garage sale disguised in a wig, long jacket and tall boots.
Within moments, the suspect pulled out a gun and shot Elizabeth several times. The shooter then got back in their truck and drove off.
No one since has been able to identify the driver.
“I think they were definitely there stalking her. I don’t understand why. It’s crazy,” said Sergio.
Corley asked Sgt. Ritchie if there was any indication that Elizabeth’s murder could have been a hit.
“It’s possible. I felt like the person who did this had to have prior knowledge. It just wasn’t on a whim. I don’t believe it was random,” said Sgt. Ritchie.
Sergio said the garage sale was never advertised.
“It was only advertised at like street signs. Like we had two little signs up. But anywhere else, it wasn’t online or on any kind of website or anything like that, or social media. Nothing. Nobody in my family really knew about it, besides, like my mom and her parents,” said Sergio.
The Harry Potter and Star Wars fan had a squeaky-clean image with no known enemies.
“On this case here, everybody I ever talked to, the family, there has not been one person that said Liz had a bad bone in her body,” said Sgt. Thomas.
The question still lingers, who would want to kill Elizabeth? Over the years, many people pointed the blame at her husband.
“It hurts me. It’s sad,” said Sergio.
Sergio has since remarried but still has Diesel, the dog he shared with Elizabeth, and small memories of her in his home.
KPRC 2 reporter Corley asked Sergio if he had anything to do with Liz’s murder.
“No, ma’am. I would never do anything like that. We had the best relationship. Why would I ruin that?” said Sergio.
Now, nearly five years later, The Texas Rangers, the FBI, and the Texas Anti-Gang Unit have joined in on the case.
Sgt. Thomas said the added agencies’ expertise and resources allow them to further examine evidence and jump on new leads. He feels they are closer than ever to solving the case.
“It’s going to take that one person who’s not nervous about talking about it anymore. Relationships change. Someone knows something,” said Sgt. Thomas.
Over the years, detectives said they have gathered new evidence. They could not go into detail about what they have found, because the case is an ongoing investigation. However, they are following up on leads nationwide.
“They may have succeeded in killing her, but she’s still a force to be reckoned with, and continues to do good throughout this world,” said Bob.
A $50,000 reward is being offered for any information that could lead to an arrest. If you have a tip, contact Crimestoppers at (713) 222-TIPS or the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at (713) 221-6000.