For Lorena Orozco, memories of her father Mario are found only in the pictures hanging on the walls in her Escondido apartment
"I remember a lot about being teased about not having a father," Lorena, 19, said with tears in her eyes.
The teasing came from classmates during Lorena's early school years.
It only added to the heartache of losing her father when she was only two and a half years old.
"I spent many years trying not to speak about it," Lorena said in her first ever interview about her father's death. "Just trying to avoid this pain, always having to see my mom cry."
The deep pain is also bottled up inside Lorena's younger brother Danny, 18, who was only about a year old when their father was murdered in November 1994.
"Me and my sister always took care of each other, we didn't have a choice it definitely impacted our lives," Danny said.
Their father’s death happened at an apartment complex in the 1800 block of East Washington Avenue.
Investigators say Mario Orozco, 24, got into a scuffle with an unidentified man who pistol whipped him to the ground.
Local
"He then stepped over the victim's body and fired several rounds into the victim, saying "Do you want to die like a dog," said cold case detective Chuck Gaylor.
Investigators have witnesses and know the suspect drove a red Mercury Merkur, which was later found abandoned.
They even got pictures of the suspect from his girlfriend.
But the mystery man went by different names like Rogelio Nunes Robles, leaving investigators with a face but no real name.
"It's frustrating because we can prove this case, we just need the public's help in identifying the suspect," Gaylor said.
For Lorena and her brother Danny, closure is the only thing that'll help ease a heartache that'll never go away.
"It's something I don't wish on anyone.. having to grow up without a father," Lorena said.
The suspect could be living in Tijuana.
Anyone with information about him should call Escondido Police or Crimestoppers.
