Justice Unresolved is a series of articles examining cold cases, disappearances and unsolved crimes that continue to haunt families and communities in America. The stories revisit the known facts, unanswered questions and latest developments in cases where the search for truth is far from over.
An Arizona mother is searching for the truth after her beloved daughter, 19-year-old Emily Hieber, went missing as many as 13 years ago. Emily disappeared on February 3, 2013, from Yuma, Arizona, alongside her miniature pinscher, Bruiser. They have not been heard from or seen since. By February 6 of the same year, Emily’s phone was no longer in service.
Emily’s mother, Jenny Jimenez, told HindustanTimes.com that when she called the police department to file a missing persons report, they refused to do it because of her “age and lifestyle.” She started putting up flyers, and her father spoke to a detective about Emily, who took the case.
Jenny said that before Emily went missing, her daughter “had been living from place to place for a year.” However, the last time the two of them met, Emily told her mother that she was “ready to turn her life around.” She was overjoyed as her nephew had just been born, and she was “excited” to be an aunt, Jenny said.
“It’s been more than a decade and we are no closer to finding Emily,” Jenny told HindustanTimes.com. “Information keeps coming in and the detectives investigate it but nothing comes of it. The lead detective has been amazing. All he wants is to find Emily.”
The last time Jenny met her daughter
Jenny opened up about the last day she saw her daughter before her disappearance.
“Emily was here at my house the last day I saw her. She was visiting her nephew. When she left, we hugged. We told each other “I love you.” I had no idea that would be the last time I saw her. We had a good feeling that things were going to be different.”
Jenny noted that both she and Emily were good swimmers, and recalled a fond memory.
“I was a swimmer and Emily was a phenomenal swimmer,” she said. “One of my favorite memories is when she beat my 100 butterfly time. I held the record for many years and she beat it.”
“We had a good relationship, but we had our ups and downs for sure,” added Jenny.
Jenny said that detectives have been actively investigating information that comes in, and thanked law enforcement for their “continuous efforts to find my daughter.”
“I am so grateful,” she added.
Jenny said that she has absolutely no idea where her daughter may have gone, and added that “any theory could be the answer.”
“I don’t know of anyone that would want to hurt her, and I pray no one did,” she said. “She was trying to change her life. She deserves to be home where she belongs.”
Jenny shared a message for anyone who might know where Emily is.
“To anyone who knows where my daughter is, please come forward,” she said, adding that she wants “their heart and their conscience to finally make them do the right thing.”
Jenny runs a Facebook page – Help Us Find Emily Hieber – where she posts updates on Emily’s case and ensures people remember her daughter as the search continues.