# @downinnadesert on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DbrM3xvgVnc
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/68801273-downinnadesert-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/fc72db974a.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-05T22:22:09.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Down In The Desert🌵 (@downinnadesert) — https://gondola.cc/downinnadesert

## Caption

Nearly 30 years later, the person who entered a Yuma home and took the life of 10-year-old Amberly Mendoza has still never been identified.

On the night of March 8, 1996, Amberly’s family was gathered at their home before she eventually went to bed. The following morning, her mother found her unresponsive inside her bedroom and called 911.
Investigators determined that someone had gotten inside the home and attacked Amberly before she died from suffocation. Police found no signs of forced entry, but the screen to her first-floor bedroom window had been removed.

DNA believed to belong to the person responsible was recovered from the scene. Amberly’s family was ruled out, but the unknown profile did not match anyone in the national database. Years later, detectives reexamined the evidence and found additional material connected to the same DNA profile, but it still has never produced a name.

Now, as the case approaches 30 years without an arrest, the FBI is offering a $30,000 reward for information that identifies the person responsible and leads to an arrest and conviction.
Anyone with information can contact Yuma police at (928) 783-4421 or FBI Phoenix at (623) 466-1999.
Do you think newer DNA technology could finally solve Amberly’s case?

Via:  FBI Phoenix

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 #Arizona #YumaAZ #ColdCase #TrueCrime #DownInTheDesert

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## Tags

yumaaz, downinthedesert, truecrime, arizona, coldcase

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