True Crime with Kimbyr - Part 1: Cheerleader, Sorority Sister & Designated Driver: Murdered After NYE Party | Valerie Wilson

Episode Date: February 23, 2026

On this heartbreaking episode of True Crime with Kimbyr, we dive into the tragic case of 19-year-old Valerie Zavala Wilson—a college student, cheerleader, and sorority sister who came home to Fillmore, California for the holidays. On New Year’s Eve 2002, she partied responsibly, checked in with her mom, and made sure everyone got home safely. By morning, she was gone. What happened in those final hours—and how did someone she trusted hide such a devastating secret? True Crime with Kimbyr blends detailed research with compassion as we uncover the truth behind Valerie’s disappearance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's New Year's Eve in Fillmore, California. 19-year-old Valerie Wilson is heading back home from college. She's spending the holidays with family and people she has known since she was a child. And that night, like she always did. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot Machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package.

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She volunteered to be designated driver. Just after midnight, she stepped outside the party to call her mom. She said, happy New Year and told her she was dropping off a couple friends and promised she'd be home soon. But Valerie never made it back. She wasn't the type to say goodbye. And if you tried, she would correct you and say, no, it's see you later. Because goodbye felt too final. And maybe that's why the story is so haunting, because this time, goodbye was forever.

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to my channel. And if you've never been here before, I am Kimberlea. It's nice to finally meet you. So let's jump back to New Year's Day. It's the first day of 2003. 19-year-old Valerie's mom, Michelle, woke up expecting brunch. with her daughters and I don't know if any of you realize this but I usually talk about

cases that are happening at the same time of year that we're experiencing right now. Obviously, this was the beginning and I'm a little late, but throughout the year I really do try to bring you cases that correlate to the time of year or in. So if you're watching right when it comes out, you might have noticed that. So this plan for New Year's brunch have been set for days, family time, pancakes, maybe even a movie together, but the sun was up and it seemed like Valerie wasn't. And at first, her mom didn't panic. Why would she? Maybe Valerie stayed at a friend's house. Maybe she overslept. But as the hours passed, every time Michelle called her daughter's phone, it went straight to voicemail. Friends hadn't heard from her. No one had. And by 11 o'clock that

morning, that quiet concern turned into something more. Michelle didn't hesitate any longer. She dialed 911, but they say the best stories don't start with tragedy. They start with life, with the little things. The stuff you don't even realize you'll miss until it's gone. In Valerie Zavala story, it began in a town where the air sometimes smelled

like oranges. It was surrounded by miles and miles of orange and avocado groves. Fillmore, California is the kind of place that feels like you took a page right out of an All-American family photo album. Valerie Diane Zavala Wilson was born to Michelle Zavala

and Kevin Wilson on August 20th of 1983. She was the oldest of four, with two sisters, Jessica and Kirsten, and a little brother, Kevin Jr. All of her siblings thought the world of her. She wasn't just Big Sister. She was the blueprint, the one who paved the way for everybody else, the one who always showed up, especially exactly when you needed her. She had this thing that she would do when she was excited, she would burst into a room yelling, guess what, guess what, guess what? Like the news was way too big to keep it to herself.

Like she might explode if she didn't let it out right then. And her family called her meals at breakfast a bowl of butter, not because she ate bad necessarily, but because she would load up toast like it was dessert. It became a running joke, a little quirk in the storybook of Valerie's life that her family would tell for years. She loved fishing with her grandpa.

She loved her grandma knitting her beanies, even if kids usually think that's a little cringy. The thought is what counted and it made it special. And if she heard a Julia Roberts movie playing in the background, she would drop everything to go watch it with her mom. They would quote lines between bites of popcorn, and it was like a ritual that they had together. Michelle said, just seeing Valerie Smile lifted her mood.

Michelle, her mom, used to say they weren't just mother and daughter. They were best friends. On Saturdays, Valerie didn't sleep in like most teenagers. She would get up early just to watch cartoons beside her mom in the couch, and that was the playful part of her personality. She was playful with her dad in the relationship as well. She would write him literally,

letters or a note and she would always sign off the same way. She would write, your baby girl. She was the girl who played the alphabet game on long car rides with her siblings scanning for letters on street signs and license plates. She rewatched Dude Where's My Car with her sister Kirsten on repeat until they couldn't breathe from laughing so hard. By eighth grade, Valerie found a new love and no, it wasn't a boy. It was cheerleading for the Raiders cheerleading squad at school. She was perfect for it. She was a naturally bubbly, vibrant, and outgoing. She was also small, only 5'1, so naturally she became a flyer on the team,

the one that was lifted high above being supported by her teammates. And that role took trust and precision and total confidence. And her coach said she was the type of athlete who checked in on everyone else. She would worry about them before herself. She also met her best friend Kimberly from cheerleading, and they became inseparable. Friday nights weren't just about cheering at football. And Fillmore, football games were what was happening. The entire town would gather under the lights of the stadium cheering

because it wasn't just about the game. It was pride for their community. And Valerie loved being part of that. Not just being in the crowd, but being why the crowd was there as she cheered on her hometown team. And speaking of hometown, Fillmore, California was an agriculture farming community.

And in the 90s, as a teenager, your world would revolve around the same few places. the high school, the campus buzzing with gossip and football talk, the single main street with little mom and pop shops where you would gather around after class, and a tiny cafe where you and your friends would squeeze into booths together. Small town vibes all the way, but it also meant everyone knew your business. So if you skip class, it would get around to your parents before the school would even call them. And speaking of the phone, this was still the time of landlines where you had to memorize your best,

friend's phone number. And once in high school, Valerie made it onto the Fillmore Flashes football cheer squad with Kimberly by her side. But she didn't stop there. When Valerie wasn't in her cheerleading uniform, she was still involved, compiling wrestling stats, which earned her a letter jacket, and she also liked helping teachers. She was always stepping up and teachers remembered her as a student who made their day better because she showed up with a smile, she worked hard, she laughed, and she never complained the whole time, which is classic for most teenagers. But even as she got older, she would still cuddle up next to her mom in the couch to watch cartoons. It was the way she bonded.

And when she was old enough to run around on her own doing teen things, she always kept in touch. She checked in and stayed connected. And still, Valerie was independent in all the ways that mattered. Even as a child on her way to the first day of kindergarten, she didn't cry or hesitate. She just picked up her little backpack, she waved, and she walked into her classroom, like she owned it with no fear and no clingingness, just ready to take on the world. She grew into a smart, curious, brave little girl who was full of life. And some of that personality was written on her body. Ever since she was a kid, she loved stars.

They were everywhere on her keychains, her hats, her jewelry, even stickers on her notebook. So it made sense that she would get a star tattoo. It was on her wrist, and she had a fairy tattooed on her. her back. And that bravery that she showed as a little kid followed her. Because there does come a time in life when you have to let go and let your kids go off on their own, Valerie knew she wanted to go to college. And that meant leaving the comfort and protection of her home and her family behind and venturing out independently. Just because you're brave and you're confident doesn't mean you don't get scared. She was nervous. She didn't want to leave everything behind everything that

she knew, but she didn't let her nerve stop her. She hugged her mom. She said she would be back soon, you later because I told you. She never liked to say goodbye. After graduating with honors, Valerie enrolled at San Jose State University. It was over five hours away from her home. She was majoring in education, planning to become an elementary school teacher. And honestly, her friends thought it fit her perfectly. The big sister by nature, she had patience, she had warmth and humor, and kids loved her instantly. And the connection she had with those that she loved the most was still there, even when she went to college. Even though she was hours away, she called constantly, she checked in, and she was staying connected. Being connected to others was important to Valerie.

In college, opened a new chapter of connection in her life when she joined a sorority, the Alpha Kappa Delta Phi sorority. It's described as an Asian awareness and sisterhood organization, which was made up of about 75 members. Most of the girls were of Asian descent, but Valerie, who was Hispanic, still fit right in. Her energy was in infectious. They even had a nickname for her, Chugabug. Because she was never without her giant water bottle, always hydrating mid-conversation like it was part of her brand. And it sounds a lot like the girls who carry around Stanle's. She was doing it before it was even a trend. She became the sororities fundraising leader as well and planned events like car washes. She would get everyone together to

volunteer at the campus bookstore, anything to bring people together. Her sister said she made everything fun, and she was the first person you would call when anything went wrong. She was the one who would remember your birthday without Facebook notifications. She wasn't just a college student either. She was there to make memories and build a future. In San Jose, Valerie lived with her grandma and grandpa, and any chance she got to go back home, she took it. No matter how far she went, Philmore was still her home. Her mom and dad were divorced by this point, so when she did go back, she would split her time between her mom's place in Oxnard and her dad's house in Fillmore. There were old friends to visit, a high school boyfriend, Isaac Flores, that she still kept in touch with.

And a really good friend, Ben Iberra, who went to UC Davis, and they would drive across the state together to go back and forth between home and college. They would split these long car rides so they would keep each other company. And by her sophomore year in 2002, everything seemed to be falling into place. She was getting good grades. She was respected in her sorority, and she was stacking up classes to make sure she hit all of her prerequisites so she could go into teaching. She was looking forward to winter break, though. She would come back home for a visit and reminisce with old friends. But a trip back home came a lot sooner than that.

Because tragically, a classmate from back in high school, Mario Arias died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm. This happened in November, one month before winter break. She and Ben planned to drive back together and attend his funeral. And it really hit them hard. It wasn't the first time tragedy struck this town either. Back in 1998, another student, Rosanna-Porez, had collapsed during soccer practice and died from an undiagnosed heart condition. It was very sad. But on that particular drive to Mario's funeral, it ended up giving a chance for Ben and Valerie to talk about something pretty dark.

It was about death. The conversation, of course, got really heavy, really fast. They talked about how death can come so randomly, and you're so young and you think you have forever. And at some point, the conversation got too real, and they both got quiet and decided to change the subject. That's to be expected, because who really wants to face their own fragility at only 19? Valerie certainly didn't.

And she didn't think that she would have only a couple months to live. That's what's so heartbreaking. The reality was closer than anyone could have imagined. It was time for winter break, though, and Valerie couldn't wait. She packed everything up and went home to spend a few weeks back feeling normal again. Familiar faces, her old room, her mom's cooking, her sisters, the people she missed the most. Valerie felt like this is exactly what she needed. It was like a reset.

She couldn't wait to see her old friends who were also coming back home from their colleges. These were people that were once such a big part of her everyday life, like her high school boyfriend, Isaac. They had dated about five years ago, and at that, point in their relationship, they really thought it was going to stand the test of time. But over the two years they dated, everyone knew they had some problems, but she cared about him so much. He was a varsity football player, really popular, especially with the girls. But in a small town, that kind of popularity came with jealousy and gossip. Even after they broke up, there were still people whispering about them. Even though both of them had moved on, the word got around that

some of Isaac's new girlfriends or people interested in him were jealous of the past that he had with Valerie and the fact that they were still friends. But speaking of jealousy, that was one reason that she and Isaac broke up. He could have that possessive and jealous sigh to him. However, anytime Valerie would come back into town, they would meet up. And I think you know why. They plan to do the same thing this winter break like old times. In Fillmore, on New Year's Eve, it wasn't about wild parties or packed clubs. They had a tradition. It was the kind of hometown gathering

where you already knew everyone that would be there, what music they were going to play, and probably who would end up crashing on the couch. Because every single year for the past several years, sisters Tina, who is 27, and Denise, who was 19, threw a party at their house for New Year's Eve. And Valerie had known Denise since grade school.

They were both cheerleaders at Fillmore, and their whole squad would come out to celebrate together, usually with the football players. Even though they all graduated, it didn't stop them from all getting together around the holidays. And of course, there always were new faces every year as well,

but it was never meant to be anything big or rowdy. By 2 a.m., the sisters hoped the party would pretty much die down and everyone would be on the way home. That was the plan anyway. On the evening of December 31st, Valerie was getting ready. She opted to dress comfortably

instead of fancy because she wasn't there to impress anyone. But she had talked to her ex-boyfriend Isaac. He wasn't going. He was inviting a few friends over to his place, but he said he would wait up for Valerie if she wanted to swing by after the party. She told him she would keep in touch. She had her cell phone and she would call him later. To get to Denise and Tina Hurtado's place, Valerie got picked up by her friend Anna Hinojosa and Anna's cousin Robert. Anna was driving and all three of them arrived around 9 p.m. But by the time the clock struck

midnight, the house was full of laughter, music, and friends just enjoying. each other's company. But as the partygoers became more and more intoxicated, including Anna, she had drank way too much and was throwing up. Valerie had been taking care of her and finally made the decision to call it a night. But of course, she wasn't going to let Anna drive Anna drive. Instead, she grabbed Anna's keys and told her she would drive Anna's car and take her and Anna's cousin to her house. Before heading out, Valerie called her mom at 1240 a.m. She wished her a happy new year and she let her know she was playing designated driver. She'd be dropping off Anna and Robert, And then she might stop by Isaac's house and then head back home.

It was a quick check-in. It was just a few minutes, enough to say I'm safe and I'll be home soon. But it would be the last time that Michelle ever spoke to her daughter. She expected to hear from her or at least see her the next day for the New Year's brunch. It seemed like another normal night. The first morning of 2003 started out quiet in Fillmore. Cold air, empty streets, a little fog settling over the groves. For most people, it was a little fog.

It was a slow morning after a late night, but not for Valerie's mom. When Michelle woke up and her daughter still hadn't come home, at first she gave her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she lost track of time. Maybe she fell asleep at Isaac's house. She tried to shake the feeling in her gut, though. And as the hours kept slipping by, Valerie's sisters were really worried because this wasn't like Valerie. She would have gotten in touch by now. They'd been calling her phone again and again, and it was straight to voicemail every time.

Valerie, she might be a little late, but not hours late and not silent like this. Michelle began calling all of Valerie's friends, checking in with anyone who might have seen her and no one had heard from her since they saw her at the party in the early morning hours. Even over the phone, people could hear the fear Michelle's voice, and by 11 a.m., she couldn't wait anymore. Michelle picked up the phone and dialed 911. Her daughter was missing, and something was wrong. She could just feel it.

I do have a portion of that call and I'll play it for you now. I disappear this morning. This is not like her. She just be gone. What do I do? Michelle said that her daughter went to a party last night, and she disappeared this morning. Hank joined BJ's wholesale club the day he became a father of 30. I coach football.

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and save 10 cents a gallon on gas for six months. Now open, limited time offer new members only. BJ's Home of the Save. The operator asked who saw Valerie last and Michelle said her friends had. It wasn't like her to just be gone. She had been trying to call her all morning. And now she didn't know what to do. It is sad hearing that worry in Michelle's voice.

She was desperate to help locate her daughter. But what shocked Michelle and her daughters is they were asked to come down to the PlayStation, and that didn't seem like normal protocol, and it wasn't. One of the detectives working on another case, Detective Bill Ayyub, thought that maybe they had a lead in Valerie's case,

a connection between Valerie going missing and another 911 call that he received hours earlier. It was from a 15-year-old boy. He said he was walking along a rural road near the Orange Groves on the border of Fillmore and Santa Paula. It was a narrow road with just two lanes lined with loose dirt on the shoulder. And when a truck drove by, the wind it produced as it passed, knocked the boy off balance.

And as he stumbled near a drainage ditch to try to regain his composure, he looked down inside the concrete retaining wall around a rainwater drainage culvert that ran beneath the road, and he saw something. This is normally to provide water to the orange groves on the other side. But there was something inside. that didn't seem like it belonged there. At first he thought it might be a dead animal,

but as he got closer, he realized it was a woman's body, and he ran home to call for help. Now, I don't just like to imagine the places that I talk about. I like to try to find them on Google Maps so I can understand the landscape, and I located Mountain Spring Road, I went in a mile down,

and I found a mile marker 340 like I saw in the crime scene photos. The map only went as far back as 2012, but you can imagine this rural farming road in the early morning hours, or even in the dark, the drainage ditch with the concrete structure around it, a hiding place for something sinister.

My very last case also had a culvert in it, just a coincidence, but it is a hiding place nonetheless, a place that someone disposed of a body in the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness, possibly hoping that no one would find it. And it's almost a miracle that somebody did. When the deputies arrived, they located, They located a young woman, partially clothed,

wearing just a navy blue tank top, which was pulled up to her neck and nothing else. She was lying on her side, concealed by three freshly cut cypress branches, as if someone had deliberately put them on top of her to cover her up. There were visible signs of violence, bruising in blood on her right ear. And they noted that one earlobe still had a small black hoop

bearing in it with a clear gemstone, but the other one was missing, possibly ripped out during a struggle. The blood was still wet. It wasn't fully dried, so they knew she hadn't been there long. They started to look around outside the entrance of this drainage ditch, and they saw an abnormally large shoe print in the mud. It had a very distinct pattern, and it looked like it was made when someone stepped out

of the concrete retaining area where the body had been located. This gave them a sign that this was probably the killer's footprint, and the ground was soft and was perfect for preserving evidence. The detective ordered everything to be photographed and documented. and deputies began expanding the search area outward in every direction. The female appeared to be a young Hispanic woman in her early 20s with short brown hair and brown eyes. Her nails were manicured and she didn't appear to be dirty or living on the street and there was no purse, no wallet, no phone, and no way to identify her except there were tattoos.

They were photographed along with her body and they needed to find out who this woman was so they could find out how she got there. And that is why they called Valerie's family into the police station, because she matched the description of their Jane Doe. Valerie's mom and sisters were waiting, and Jessica said she remembered that moment that it finally sank in, that this wasn't a misunderstanding. This wasn't a she lost her phone type of situation. It was serious. They were put in a private room away from the main lobby, and a detective came in and started to ask them questions. Like, what was Valerie wearing last?

Did she have any identifying marks or tattoos? And that's all they needed to ask. Because they said, yeah, a star on her wrist and a fairy on her back. They handed Michelle a photograph of a body of their unidentified woman, and she screamed. That scream could have probably been heard throughout this entire building because it was her daughter, Valerie. Her mother fell to the ground. That was an unbelievable moment.

You don't think. going to hear that your daughter is not only missing, but found and found deceased. An autopsy was already being conducted, and this poor family hadn't even had a chance to really absorb the shock of what happened, that Valerie wasn't coming home. It was too much. How could she be alive hours earlier, happy, home for winter break, celebrating with old friends, and then found in a ditch. It didn't make sense.

Detectives were hoping to answer that question with her manner and cause of death. And the medical examiner's report revealed what they already suspected, that Valerie had been in a violent struggle. Her right eardrum was ruptured, likely from a blow to the side of her head. There were multiple contusions, scalp, face, arms, torso, legs, and the injuries on her arms and legs showed that she had been dragged after death. Possibly by both her legs and also by the arms. Her body hadn't just fallen into that culvert. She had been placed there deliberately. She had been stuffed and contorted in a way.

where she was squeezed into that small area. There were marks around her neck as well, and they were consistent with exfixiation. So the cause of death was ruled exfixia and the manor ruled homicide. Next, the toxicology report came back and it was clean. No drugs and no alcohol was in her system. So investigators believed, from the lack of evidence at the scene,

that she had actually been killed somewhere else and then moved. The culvert wasn't where the crime took place. This was a dumb sight. It was chosen for its isolation, along that quiet rural road. It didn't bring answers for Valerie's loved ones because she wasn't involved in anything dangerous. She didn't run with the wrong crowd.

She wasn't that kind of girl. She didn't even have any enemies. So there wasn't an obvious person of interest to even start with. So instead, they retrace her steps on that final night. Who saw her last? Who was she in the car with when she left the party? And what happened after that phone call to her mom

at 12.40 a.m. They start with her best friend Kimberly Padillo, the one who had known her since say, grade. She had been there on New Year's Eve at that party the night before. Her cousin had called her already, and she told Kim, they found Valerie. She was like, great. Where did they find her? But then her stomach dropped because she realized the gravity of what her cousin said next. She's gone, Kim. She's gone. What? She couldn't believe she was gone as in she was dead. How? She was thinking she was so young. She had just seen her. She was happy. She was fine. Murder didn't even cross

her mind until the police were at Kimberly's door. And the truth was just horrifying. She wanted to help, so she told them everything she knew. The last time she saw Valerie, they were having fun together. A group of about 30 people, mostly old cheerleading and football friends from high school. Kim said she left before Valerie, and she remembered there was a guy at the party that was kind of in everyone's faces filming with a camcorder. Do you remember those? Little camcorders that you could record little videotapes on. The entire night, he was catching every moment. So could he have caught something important?

An altercation, an argument, drama. But she doubted it. Because everyone there knew Valerie. They all knew each other. Everyone who found out Valerie was dead suspected something must have happened to her after she left the party. Because no one there was a stranger. Their friends all loved her.

They would protect her. They would keep her safe. They looked out for one another. detectives plan to track down this videotape, but Kim also tells them that she took pictures with a disposable camera. She hands it over so that the film can be developed and it becomes evidence.

But to her, it was the final memories that she had with one of her closest friends, and that was tough. But if it could help, she wanted them to have it. Detectives decided to locate the guy with the camera. Now, this video is definitely old school. I mean, it was 2003. It was the one where you could program little titles.

cards on the screen and for whatever reason, the guy recording either didn't know how to use it, or maybe he just wanted it to be there, but the entire time he was filming, he left the text on the screen which said, Happy New Year, Cheers, in all caps. So it definitely took some majority of the screen right in the middle, but it's not like he knew this was going to be evidence in a murder later. Now, did it have the correct timestamp on it? So that was a plus. But they knew it was distorting the colors of everything because Valerie's mom, and sisters had said when she left the house, she was wearing a blue denim jacket.

And in the video, when they spotted her, the jacket looked green. So this would definitely not be a good reference for exactly what clothing that she had on. So they're really hoping to get that film developed that Kimberly took on her disposable camera. Now they would have some better shots of her, especially because those pictures were taken

deliberately of all of them together. It wouldn't be a video of people moving around, and they do spot Valerie throughout the night on the video. She appears happy. She's among friends and nothing stood out. But it was good to be able to identify each and every person that was present that night, so they could interview them one by one. And they started with the sisters who threw the party.

They wanted to get specific names and numbers for all the attendees. And as that list was being compiled, they do get the pictures back from Kim's camera. And they can tell Valerie is wearing a denim jacket with a blue tank top that has lace on the front top And on top of the tank top, she was wearing a light blue colored, striped, ruffled button-down shirt, and a pair of jeans. The tank top she was found in was the exact one in those photographs. But the other articles of clothing were still missing, so they hoped if they located the clothes, they could also locate where the struggle took place and where Valerie lost her life. I told you that her friend Ben was also at the party. It was the same Ben who had driven with her to the funeral of their classmate Mario just a month earlier.

When interviewed, he said, did he remember? that he remembered when the clock struck 12, Valerie gave him a big smile and then a big hug. But other than seeing her there, he couldn't offer them any other clues, and he was cleared. So they moved on. Most of the people they spoke to said they recalled Valerie coming in with Anna and her cousin Robert. And remember, Anna did give Valerie a ride there. So detectives focus in on her. She confirmed they made us to the party together around 9 p.m. They danced to music. They hung out with friends. And Anna in particular, started to do a bunch of shots, which ended up making her sick,

and Valerie was pretty much babysitting her the entire night. Anna confirmed that she handed her car keys over to Valerie sometime after midnight, and she and her cousin Robert and a friend of there, Sammy, both minors, who had also been drinking, all got into her 2002 Black Toyota Corolla, which, by the way, was missing, along with her purse that she left inside. That was pretty much their first big lead, because Anna, expected Valerie to bring her car back that night, or possibly the next morning, but she never did.

And she couldn't get a hold of her. They get the information of the vehicle, and they put out a Bolo for officers to be on the lookout. They also made the community aware if they happen to see a vehicle matching that description in the area to call it in. Anna said, once they all got in the car, they were heading to drop off Sammy.

But Anna kept throwing up out the window. And Valerie was really worried, so she asked if it would be OK to drop Anna and Robert off at Roberts Place and then Sammy, and that was fine. So that's what she planned to do. But according to Anna, there was one other thing she remembered. On the way to drop her off, Valerie got on her phone, and she called who they thought was Isaac,

and said, hey, I'm about to drop Anna and Robert off, and then I'm going to drop off Sammy, and then I'll be over at your place. Anna let the detectives know that Valerie was trying to sort of rekindle things with Isaac, and she also gives them a brief rundown on him. that he was a varsity football player, they dated when they were in high school, he was really popular and they had drifted apart.

But Valerie was hoping that since they had grown up a bit since high school, they could make things work. And that's why she was going over there to hang out with him that night. Anna said that when she got out of the car, she hugged and kissed Valerie goodbye and Valerie drove off. So of course now detectives want to know more about Sammy because he was still in the car with Valerie after Anna was dropped off. Anna says that Sammy's one of their friends.

they all knew one another. And he was actually a senior at Fillmore High School at the time. He was just voted Homecoming King. He was athletic, outgoing, friends with Valerie's younger sister, Jessica. And he knew Valerie from our class that they took together. So she gives detectives his number. So he could tell them if anything unusual happened when he was on the car ride home with her. Sammy is 17-year-old Samuel Puebla.

And they go by and talk to him and his parents give permission to speak with officers since he is under 18 years old. And he explains he plays football for the school. He knows a lot of people that came to the party, and he asked Valerie if he could hitch a bride home when he saw that she was leaving because he wanted to call it a night. Sammy corroborated everything that Anna had already told them.

He said on the way to drop Anna off, he too overheard the conversation between Valerie and Isaac, that she was going to drop him off and then head his way. Sammy said when Valerie dropped him off, they hugged briefly, and then he got out of the car, And that was the last time you saw her. So now, of course, the main person that they need to speak to is Isaac Flores, because every person they interviewed that was close to Valerie mentioned Isaac.

And most of them were focusing on the sort of rocky relationship in the past and their hopes that things would be different this time around. Isaac is a year older than Valerie. He graduated a year before her, and he claimed to detectives. She never showed up at his place on New Year's. He explained he did not go to the party. because he had planned to have friends over his place, which he did. And once they left, he was just waiting for Valerie.

He said she called him around 1.30 in the morning. And he did think it was odd that she never came over. He said he waited up for a little while. He called her back. She didn't answer. So he went to sleep. It was the good old sleep alibi, which is definitely not the strongest. He was certainly a person of interest.

He wasn't a suspect, but they did collect his DNA because Valerie's body had been swabbed. and they were awaiting test results at that time. Isaac was cooperative, but he definitely was not crossed off their list. And that same morning after Valerie's body had been found, Anna, Sammy, and a few of Valerie's close friends regrouped at Tina's house, the site of the party. Everyone was shaken. They were trying to understand what just happened. They cried together with Michelle, her mom. They prayed rosary with her.

And Michelle hugged each and every one of them and thanked them individually for being there. in Valerie's final moments. It was some kind of strange sense of comfort that she got from this, but I have to tell you, that comfort would not last because the next morning, on January 2nd,

the case took its first major turn. A call came in to the Fillmore Police Department because of Black Toyota Corolla was found parked in a parking lot of La Plaza Market, which was a small grocery store off Highway 126 and C Street. This car had been sitting there overnight,

and the store's owner Rudy Contreras said he first noticed the car around 3 p.m. on New Year's Day. And by the time he closed for the night, it was still there. And in Fillmore, that was weird. No one just left their car behind without a reason. So detectives rushed to the scene. And this was Anna's car. The same black 2002 Toyota Corolla that Valerie had been driving the night that she went missing. The vehicle wasn't crashed, it wasn't abandoned in a panic or damaged. It was just parked cleanly in a parking space, a locked engine off, facing the street like whoever left it there pretty much wanted it to look normal. But something about it just felt off. And what made it worse was the location. La Plaza Market

sat just four blocks away from Isaac Flores' house, Valerie's ex-boyfriend. The same one she was planning to visit after dropping Sammy off, but he claimed she never was. made it. Detectives make a note of it almost like another red flag in Isaac's direction, because it doesn't seem like a coincidence, he could walk from there. If something happened at his place when she arrived there, some kind of altercation, he could have dumped her body and then dump the car there and ran back home. I knew about investing, but I really didn't know how to go about it. Meet Corey, a Walthfront client. With Walthfront, it could put money in and it would automatically distribute it into a diversified portfolio. Then it starts to compound. The compounding compounds on the

compounding. Just let it wrong, and it's great. Over one million clients trust Wealthfront. Get started at Wealthfront.com. Client was paid $1,000 for their testimonial, creating a conflict of interest. Outcomes vary. Investment management and advisory services provided by Wealthfront Advisors LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. Investing involves risk to principle regardless of the strategy used. Task performance does not guarantee future results. So he could fall asleep and have that alibi.