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East County News Service
Photo: rendering from ECPD depicts victim, reconstructed based on her skull
November 4, 2025 (El Cajon) — Twenty-seven years after her body was found partially decomposed in a ravine off Avocado in El Cajon, Alicia Ledezma Sanchez has been identified as the homicide victim, thanks to a match to DNA provided by her son. The case is a testament to the persistence of El Cajon Police Department’s detectives and volunteer Cold Case Unit, which persevered over decades to solve the case.
When found on August 13, 1998 beneath heavy shrubbery in the ravine, Sanchez had no identification and police were unable to identify her. She was believed to have been dead for about six weeks, says Sergeant Breakall.
In 2003 the death case was reexamined by the Cold Homicide Unit of the El Cajon Police Department. The victim’s skull was retrieved and sent to a forensic artist who completed a forensic sculpture. Photographs of the sculpture were released in hopes that a member of the public could assist in identifying the woman. However, no viable leads were developed and the case remained cold.
In 2008, DNA was obtained from the decedent and a DNA profile was developed. Unfortunately, there were no DNA matches in the database.
Over a two-year period beginning in 2023, members of the ECPD volunteer Cold Case Unit worked with Othram Labs and Parabon Labs to conduct genetic genealogy and phenotyping, advanced DNA techniques to reveal human characteristics and potential family members.
In August, the El Cajon Police Department posted her story on the department’s social media pages, asking the public for assistance.
The volunteer Cold Case Unit was contacted by a potential family member who believed she knew the woman’s identity. A DNA test with the decedent’s son confirmed a familial match, providing identification 27 years later.
If you have any information about Alicia Ledezma Sanchez, or knowledge of the homicide, please contact the El Cajon Police Department’s Investigation Division at 619-579-3320, or email the volunteer Cold Case Unit at coldcaseunit@elcajon.gov.
Alternatively, tips can be shared anonymously through Crime Stoppers at (888) 580 -8477 or online at sdcrimestoppers.org.
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