The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking information about the 1995 murder of Celia Loya, 30, on El Paso’s east side, according to a news release from the agency. The reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible is now $6,000 if the tip is received before the next featured Texas Rangers cold case is announced, DPS said.
According to the release, Loya, an office manager at American Sling, called colleagues on Feb. 7, 1995, to say she would be late to work, but she never arrived. Unable to reach her, her husband went to their home along Lake Champlain Street, where he found her body on the bathroom floor, severely beaten, the agency said. DPS said she died from extensive blood loss stemming from blunt force trauma to the head and body, and that signs of an apparent struggle were also found in the living room.
In the years after the killing, investigators developed and followed several leads, conducted interviews and continued to examine evidence from the scene to determine who entered the residence, but no arrests have been made, the release said.
The El Paso Police Department and the Texas Rangers are now asking the public for help. DPS said authorities believe community members may have critical information, including details about Loya’s activities and whereabouts leading up to her death, particularly anyone who may have seen her or been in the area the morning of the murder. Investigators are also interested in tips about anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity, the agency said.
To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters must contact authorities in one of two ways, according to DPS: by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477), or by submitting a tip online through the link provided by the agency and selecting “Cold Cases Featured” and “Cold Case” in the type-of-crime and offense-type sections.
The release explained that one case from the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation (Cold Case) Program is featured every other month as part of a DPS public awareness effort to generate new leads. Texas Crime Stoppers rewards are increased up to $6,000 for featured cases, and the higher reward is paid only if the tip is submitted before the next cold case is featured, the agency said.
DPS said the program was created to assist Texas law enforcement agencies in investigating unsolved homicides or violent serial crimes. Because there is no statute of limitations for murder, investigators pursue such cases until they are resolved or no viable leads remain, the agency said.