A high school cheerleader from Edna, Texas was remembered in Harris County on Thursday night as local police and the Texas Rangers investigate her apparent murder 90 miles away.
16-year-old Lizbeth Medina was found dead in her mother’s apartment on Tuesday evening. Detectives are still searching for her killer.
Medina, who was an Edna High School cheerleader, was looking forward to being at Thursday night’s playoff game, her family said, but instead there was a noticeable void on the sidelines.
“She loved everybody. She cared for everybody,” her mother, Jacqueline Medina told KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry. “She loved cheerleading. When I would watch her, I would just see her face glow.”
Jacqueline Medina said Tuesday started as “a normal day like every other day.”
She last spoke to her daughter in the morning, she said. But Tuesday evening, she went to watch her daughter in a Christmas parade.
New at 10: Edna, Texas high school cheerleader Lizbeth Medina found murdered in her own home. Her mother shares what happened that day as investigators search for a killer. @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/NDbKxvULAF
— Bryce Newberry (@KPRC2Bryce) December 8, 2023
“I didn’t see my baby,” Jacqueline Medina said.
She confirmed with a friend next to her that they didn’t see Lizbeth in the parade, either, then said she went home and eventually made a gruesome discovery.
She first called friends for help looking for Lizbeth, but then noticed a foot sticking out of the bathtub, discovering her daughter dead.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect her,” Jacqueline Medina said.
A family member said there was no sign of forced entry at the apartment off North Wells Street.
The Edna Police Department, with help from the Texas Rangers, is investigating the death as a capital murder, but investigators have not revealed details about what could have happened.
The family said they are still waiting for updates from the police as well.
A couple of weeks ago, Jacqueline Medina said their apartment was broken into and “petty stuff” was stolen. She doesn’t believe that’s connected to what happened to Lizbeth.
“I wanted to protect her from the world. And I’m just enraged that I couldn’t protect her in her own home,” Jacqueline Medina said.
Investigators are asking for any tips in the case to be reported to the Edna Police Department at 361-782-6522.