In a heartfelt bid to rejuvenate cold cases that have remained unsolved for decades, digital billboards along I-5 near Roth Road in Lathrop are now displaying faces of homicide victims, hoping to bring them justice.
Friday marked an emotional moment for Michelle Torrez as she saw her brother, Henry Torrez's face displayed prominently on one such billboard. Henry was tragically killed at a north Stockton shopping center 32 years ago when he was only 21.
The mystery behind his death and the identity of his killer has evaded law enforcement since then. Standing beneath the billboard, Michelle expressed her "mixed emotions of happiness and sadness," harboring a hope that this initiative might finally lead to a resolution in her brother's case.
Leticia Galvan, who initiated the billboard campaign, approached Outfront Media with the idea to display faces and names of cold case homicide victims. The advertising company, recognizing the gravity and importance of this endeavor, generously offered to donate billboard time.
Now, every hour, these victims' faces light up the billboards along Highway 99 and I-5 for a brief, yet potent, few seconds.
Galvan, who helms the Luis G. Alvarez Rewards for Justice Foundation, deeply resonates with the pain these families experience. She lost her son, Louis, to a shooting in Lodi in 2016.
Although an arrest was made almost a year later, the anguish made her recognize the significance of such initiatives. "I think it brings the family knowledge that we are still fighting for them," she shared. She urged the public to look up at these billboards and hopes someone with information will come forward.
Chang Lor, echoing similar sentiments, said, "Sometimes we struggle. It feels like we're being heard on a deaf ear and this is a great opportunity for us as families to see that someone is actually fighting with us... we're not alone."
In a city where many cold cases have faded into obscurity, these billboards serve as a beacon of hope, a call to action, and a reminder that the fight for justice is far from over.
