This week The Real Story With Maria Elena Salinas examines the murder of Mexican immigrant Felipe Ulloa.
It was back in 2003 near Joliet, Illinois, that 62-year-old Mexican Ulloa was found dead in his burning truck.
Ulloa had enjoyed lunch with his wife and daughter before heading to a local bar to collect a payment for a horse he’d recently sold. His body was found near the railway track in his burning truck, he’d been stabbed multiple times in the neck.
The police did get some leads from local witnesses and even issued an arrest warrant but the suspect seemingly fled across the border to Mexico and the trail went cold.
However, his seven daughters did not let the case go cold and put pressure on the police to keep up with the investigation. They put up posters all over the area asking for information that might lead to solving their father’s murder.
They also were supportive of local police but the case helped to highlight the problems with language and culture barriers when investigating crimes in the Hispanic community.
31-year-old Emilio Estrada was identified as a suspect but he was a transient character who slipped across the border often, working using different social security numbers.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe case serves as a reminder of the need for more multi-lingual detectives and for community work, which often serves as a great source of information when investigating crimes.
The Real Story With Maria Elena Salinas airs Mondays at 10:00 PM on Investigation Discovery.