DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Last year, 22-year-old Melissa Gonzalez was shot to death while riding on Interstate 95 in a car with her boyfriend.
The shooter has not been found. Now, her mother and her boyfriend are pleading for help.
Gonzalez’s mother, Sheilla Nunez, is asking for the public’s help to find the person responsible.
U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., accompanied her, as she spoke with reporters on Thursday and translated for her.
“Please, we need to ask the community, the city, the different members of the community, if you have any information, please to help me to resolve this case, which is obviously the most difficult case of my life,” she said.
Nunez took a moment to kiss a blown-up picture of her daughter used during the news conference.
Miami-Dade Police have released new surveillance video that showed the vehicle they believe may have been involved.
In the video, a man in a white shirt could be seen getting into the back seat of a dark-colored car leaving the area that police believe the bullets came from.
“My daughter was an excellent daughter and an excellent person,” said Salazar as she translated for Nunez.
“I remember every moment, we together. I can’t believe it, that that’s happened,” said Julian, Gonzalez’s boyfriend.
Detectives said Gonzalez was struck and killed by a bullet near the Northwest 79th Street exit on Jan. 3, 2020.
Julian said he was with her in the car.
“It was terrible, that night,” he said.
Julian said he quickly grabbed the wheel and pulled the car over.
“It takes like seconds, but for me it takes like years,” he said. “It was terrible, terrible. I jumped [out of] the car, and the guy drove up on the other side — super terrible.”
Now, police and the grieving family are asking anyone with information to come forward.
“The smallest bit of information that may seem insignificant to someone out there, that knows something about this case, could be a huge piece for our puzzle that gets everything else going,” said MDPD detective Juan Segovia.
Wednesday would have been Gonzalez’s 23rd birthday. She had recently graduated from Florida International University.
Her loved ones said they’re hopeful they will soon get closure.
“Anybody who saw something, we have to put every effort, because my family is too damaged,” said Julian.
“If you have a child, if you have a grandchild, just think of me and think of the pain that I’m going through,” said Salazar as she translated for Nunez.
If you have any information on this shooting, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $7,000 reward.
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