Murdered: Liz Barraza
On January 25, 2019, Elizabeth "Liz" Barraza was shot in her driveway. She died in the hospital only a day later. To this day, her killer is still unknown. Who murdered Liz Barraza?
Elizabeth "Liz" Marie Barraza, née Nuelle, was born June 26, 1989, in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. She grew up in Illinois, and moved to the Houston area in Texas in 2008 for college. She was an avid Star Wars and Harry Potter fan, and she and her husband Sergio, who she met at college, would dress up and attend the Texas Renaissance Festival. Liz and her husband did not have children, but she was well loved by all who knew her.
On January 25th of 2019, Liz was setting up a yard sale in her drive way. Her goal was to make some money to go towards the anniversary trip to Orlando, Florida that she and her husband had been planning. She had advertised the yard sale with a few signs around the neighborhood, but not on her social media. Liz was standing in her drive way at around 6:50am after her husband had left for work, continuing preparations for the yard sale, when a black Nissan Frontier pulled into the driveway. The Barraza's Nest Doorbell Camera caught the driver of the car getting out, and walking up to Liz. Liz greets the driver with a "Good morning," and the driver speaks to her for about six seconds before the shots are fired. Three quick shots quickly knock Liz to the ground, a fourth one coming from point blank range. The driver sprints back to the truck and takes off.
Several neighbors made calls to the police after the shots were fired, all around 6:55am. One of them, Mr. D., heard the shots, and saw the Nissan Frontier leave the driveway. He later observed the truck drive back past the house while on the phone with police. The truck is also spotted on the Nest doorbell camera at the Barraza's home as it drives past.
At 7:19am, the Harris County Constables arrive at the scene, securing the home. Liz is Life Flighted to Memorial Hermann Hospital, with one of the constables with her as a guardian. The police entering the house trigged the alarm system that Liz had set, causing the alarm company to call her parents. When they couldn't reach her Liz's parents, Rosemary and Bob Nuelle, started to worry. They arrived on the scene shortly after Liz was Life Flighted. Only about 19 minutes later, Sergio Barazza, Liz's husband, arrived at the house, and was detained by officers for questioning. Rosemary and Bob left the scene and headed to hospital. Liz's parents are joined at the hospital by Liz's bother and his wife, and then shortly after that Sergio and his mother arrive. Meanwhile, Liz is transferred to the Shock Trauma ICU in the hospital and put on life support.
The next day, Saturday, January 26th, Liz is pronounced dead at 1:40pm, following a the final neurological exams.
While on she was on life support, Sergio, Liz's husband, and Bob, her father, made the decision to donate her organs. Shortly after she was pronounced dead, her body was taken away to prepare for donation. Her gift of donation saved four lives, and gave one other the ability to see.
As of 2024, the case is still unsolved. The police do not know if the suspect was male or female, even with video evidence. Harris County Sherriff Ed Gonzalez had reported that they had found no motives as to why someone would want to kill Liz Barraza. "We will not rest until justice is served," Gonzalez said. "Someone out there knows who killed Elizabeth that morning and we ask you to do the right thing. Please come forward and assist."
Liz's father had a similar statement. The message that we want to put out is a really simple one," Bob Nuelle said. "This was a great young woman, This was a person dedicated to helping others and some monster coward walked up in cold blood and shot her four times... So we're asking for the public's assistance. If you know something, say something. We're ready to move on to getting this case in court and getting these people removed from a position where they can harm the public."
If you, or anyone you know, have information about the murder of Liz Barraza, please contact the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at +1 (713) 222-TIPS (8477).
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