WEBVTT 00:00:08.269 --> 00:00:10.789 The views and opinions expressed in Cold and 00:00:10.789 --> 00:00:13.710 Missing are exclusively those of the hosts. All 00:00:13.710 --> 00:00:16.129 parties mentioned are considered innocent until 00:00:16.129 --> 00:00:18.949 proven guilty in a court of law. Cold and Missing 00:00:18.949 --> 00:00:22.410 also contains adult themes and languages. Listener 00:00:22.410 --> 00:00:26.230 discretion is advised. I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:29.010 -Sulkowski. And I'm your co -host, Eli Sulkowski. 00:00:29.210 --> 00:00:31.289 And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover 00:00:31.289 --> 00:00:35.009 cold cases and missing person cases. Hello, everyone, 00:00:35.049 --> 00:00:37.340 and welcome back to Cold and Missing. I'm your 00:00:37.340 --> 00:00:40.659 host, Ali. And I'm your co -host, Eli. Welcome 00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:43.820 back, everyone. Yes, Eli's work schedule has 00:00:43.820 --> 00:00:46.240 calmed down this week, so we were able to get 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:49.359 together and record, and we just thought we should 00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:51.479 just go ahead and get into this week's episode. 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:53.299 We're both here. We should just get into it. 00:00:53.859 --> 00:00:58.079 Yeah, we are on episode 154, and this week's 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:01.560 case is a... A cold case. All right, let's do 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:06.480 it. Let's do it. Today... We are talking about 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:10.840 the cold case of Maria Bianca Cortes, and this 00:01:10.840 --> 00:01:14.719 takes place in March of 1992 in the Mission Valley 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:18.840 neighborhood in San Diego, California. But first, 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:22.560 a little bit about Maria. Maria Bianca Cortes 00:01:22.560 --> 00:01:27.310 is just 23 years old in 1992. It does seem like 00:01:27.310 --> 00:01:30.390 she goes between the name Maria and Bianca, so 00:01:30.390 --> 00:01:33.010 you might hear me refer to her as both throughout 00:01:33.010 --> 00:01:35.069 the podcast or people refer to her as Bianca 00:01:35.069 --> 00:01:38.450 as well. She was a young mother devoted to raising 00:01:38.450 --> 00:01:40.430 a two -year -old daughter who was the center 00:01:40.430 --> 00:01:44.870 of her world. Maria's daughter is also very important 00:01:44.870 --> 00:01:48.349 to this timeline. However, it does seem that 00:01:48.349 --> 00:01:51.750 Maria's daughter is seeking privacy in her adult 00:01:51.750 --> 00:01:54.420 life, so For that reason, I'm just going to refer 00:01:54.420 --> 00:01:56.640 to her as her daughter throughout the podcast. 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:00.299 I don't think it will be too confusing, but I 00:02:00.299 --> 00:02:03.319 just want to respect her privacy. Maria was born 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:06.760 and raised in Mexico, but in 1987, she made the 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:09.060 decision to move to the United States, settling 00:02:09.060 --> 00:02:12.319 in San Diego. She was in the process of becoming 00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:15.639 a U .S. citizen and worked very hard to build 00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:18.819 a stable life for herself and her daughter. Maria 00:02:18.819 --> 00:02:21.620 lived with her boyfriend, Raul, who was also 00:02:21.620 --> 00:02:25.000 the father of her daughter. Maria didn't have 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:27.919 a car, which meant navigating San Diego almost 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:32.099 entirely by bus. Many days required two or more 00:02:32.099 --> 00:02:34.460 buses to get where she needed to go, and when 00:02:34.460 --> 00:02:36.960 transfers ran late, Maria often found herself 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:41.419 walking alone at night for long stretches. Occasionally, 00:02:41.419 --> 00:02:44.159 to avoid these long and exhausting trips, she 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:46.159 would sometimes accept rides from strangers. 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:57.060 Despite these challenges, Maria never let transportation 00:02:57.060 --> 00:02:59.620 stop her from giving her daughter a full life. 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:11.960 As her sister said, quote, Whatever that little 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:15.689 girl wanted, she would take her. Maria worked 00:03:15.689 --> 00:03:19.729 long hours as a babysitter and housekeeper. When 00:03:19.729 --> 00:03:22.129 she was working, her daughter was often cared 00:03:22.129 --> 00:03:25.889 for by family and close friends. Those close 00:03:25.889 --> 00:03:28.770 to her described her as a loving, attentive mother 00:03:28.770 --> 00:03:32.909 who lived a quiet, honest life. Her brother -in 00:03:32.909 --> 00:03:43.030 -law says, quote, It's a tragedy, a total tragedy. 00:03:43.979 --> 00:03:47.000 And with that, we'll get into a timeline of events. 00:03:48.300 --> 00:03:53.939 Tuesday, March 3rd, 1992. So Maria was last seen 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:58.080 around 6 .30 p .m. on that Tuesday evening. She 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:00.800 was picking up her daughter, I believe from a 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:03.060 relative's house. It's reported that it was her 00:04:03.060 --> 00:04:06.080 sister. It's believed Maria could have been heading 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:09.460 to a sewing class in Linda Vista at the Bayside 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:12.979 Settlement House later that evening. Some reports 00:04:12.979 --> 00:04:15.719 say that her sister drove Maria and her daughter 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:18.759 to a bus stop and dropped them off around 6 .30 00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:22.339 p .m. So 6 .30 p .m. is the last known sighting 00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:26.699 of Maria. Police, however, will continue to report 00:04:26.699 --> 00:04:30.060 that the last confirmed sighting of Maria Bianca 00:04:30.060 --> 00:04:34.079 Cortes was her walking toward Marina Boulevard 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:37.379 with her two -year -old daughter. Maria's boyfriend 00:04:37.379 --> 00:04:40.259 was working that evening, but when he returned 00:04:40.259 --> 00:04:43.459 home later that night, He found neither Maria 00:04:43.459 --> 00:04:46.740 or his daughter were home. He immediately knew 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:49.139 something was wrong as this was extremely unusual. 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:53.939 He waited anxiously through the night. But finally, 00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:56.819 on the morning of Wednesday, March 4th, when 00:04:56.819 --> 00:04:58.980 the sun started to rise and they still were not 00:04:58.980 --> 00:05:01.439 home, he called police to report them missing. 00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:04.819 Early that morning, a man was reading a newspaper 00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:08.980 near a shopping center in Mission Valley. Behind 00:05:08.980 --> 00:05:12.139 the shopping center was an open field. From a 00:05:12.139 --> 00:05:14.259 distance, he noticed something that didn't make 00:05:14.259 --> 00:05:17.480 a lot of sense. Unsure of exactly what he was 00:05:17.480 --> 00:05:20.100 seeing, the man flagged down a woman riding her 00:05:20.100 --> 00:05:23.639 bike. She decided to ride into the field to investigate, 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:26.439 expecting to find a person facing homelessness 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:30.920 who maybe needed help. Instead, she made a horrifying 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:42.089 discovery. She says, quote, I saw it was a little 00:05:42.089 --> 00:05:45.069 girl, who was bloody, who was sitting on a body, 00:05:45.209 --> 00:05:49.670 and she just turned and looked at me. Quickly, 00:05:49.790 --> 00:05:52.170 the biker rode off to find a phone to call police. 00:05:52.750 --> 00:05:56.829 At approximately 7 .15 a .m., police were dispatched 00:05:56.829 --> 00:06:00.189 to 7500 Mission Valley Road after receiving a 00:06:00.189 --> 00:06:03.089 call that a child was sitting on top of a body 00:06:03.089 --> 00:06:07.540 in an open field. Today, this area is very busy 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:10.500 and built up, but back in 1992, there was far 00:06:10.500 --> 00:06:14.639 less there. When officers arrived, Maria's daughter 00:06:14.639 --> 00:06:17.600 ran into the arms of a female officer that came 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:21.279 to the scene. Reports say that she didn't start 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:24.220 crying until police arrived, and that's when 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:27.660 she began to cry. Maria's daughter had been sitting 00:06:27.660 --> 00:06:30.779 with the body of her mother in a muddy field 00:06:30.779 --> 00:06:35.040 behind a shopping center. Ultimately, the autopsy 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:37.699 will show that Maria had been strangled and stabbed 00:06:37.699 --> 00:06:41.300 in the groin. Investigators believe the stab 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:45.579 wound was ultimately what killed her. The autopsy 00:06:45.579 --> 00:06:48.079 will also confirm that she had not been sexually 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:51.319 assaulted. Maria's daughter had been sitting 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:54.279 with her mother's body for hours. She was covered 00:06:54.279 --> 00:06:59.069 in blood. None of it was her own. Hypothermia 00:06:59.069 --> 00:07:01.870 was beginning to set in, but otherwise, the two 00:07:01.870 --> 00:07:04.810 -year -old was unharmed, physically unharmed. 00:07:06.389 --> 00:07:08.529 Maria's daughter was taken to a hospital and 00:07:08.529 --> 00:07:11.550 treated for the exposure. Police immediately 00:07:11.550 --> 00:07:14.509 start searching for her father, Raul, as they 00:07:14.509 --> 00:07:16.730 need to question him before they're able to release 00:07:16.730 --> 00:07:21.189 her to him. Based on the condition of both Maria 00:07:21.189 --> 00:07:23.810 and her daughter, investigators believe that 00:07:23.810 --> 00:07:25.750 they had been in the field for several hours 00:07:25.750 --> 00:07:29.420 overnight. But they never give a specific time 00:07:29.420 --> 00:07:31.740 of death or window when they believe that the 00:07:31.740 --> 00:07:34.360 murder had actually happened. They just say several 00:07:34.360 --> 00:07:38.279 hours overnight. The next day, Thursday, March 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:42.199 5th, police continue to question Raul in connection 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:45.300 with Maria's murder. He is ultimately released 00:07:45.300 --> 00:07:47.720 from custody and he's never called a suspect 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:51.279 in this crime. Investigators stated they did 00:07:51.279 --> 00:07:54.949 not have a clear motive in the crime. While there 00:07:54.949 --> 00:07:57.490 had been two other stabbing murders in the week 00:07:57.490 --> 00:08:00.370 prior to Maria's death, police did not think 00:08:00.370 --> 00:08:03.870 that they were related at that time. The next 00:08:03.870 --> 00:08:06.290 day, so this is two days after the murder, Friday, 00:08:06.410 --> 00:08:10.490 March 6th, police released photos of Maria Bianca 00:08:10.490 --> 00:08:13.529 Cortes to the public, hoping someone would recognize 00:08:13.529 --> 00:08:16.209 her or recall seeing her the night that she was 00:08:16.209 --> 00:08:19.740 killed. Investigators urged anyone who may have 00:08:19.740 --> 00:08:22.079 seen Maria traveling that evening to come forward 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:25.180 with the information. There was no tip too small. 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:29.540 But sadly, after this, Maria's case really goes 00:08:29.540 --> 00:08:33.659 cold. I tried to dig and dig for updates, but 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:38.159 I really couldn't find any until 2022, so that's 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:41.899 nearly 30 years since the murder. And in 2022, 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:45.620 Maria's case is being revisited by the media 00:08:45.620 --> 00:08:48.700 and by the police, bringing renewed attention 00:08:48.700 --> 00:08:51.539 to her murder and the unanswered questions surrounding 00:08:51.539 --> 00:08:55.700 it. Police do share a little bit more about the 00:08:55.700 --> 00:08:59.000 timeline. Investigators believe that Maria may 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:02.299 have taken the bus as far as Mission Valley and 00:09:02.299 --> 00:09:06.179 then accepted a ride. Tony Johnson, a senior 00:09:06.179 --> 00:09:08.700 investigator with the district attorney's office, 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:12.169 says, quote, The only thing that hurt Maria was 00:09:12.169 --> 00:09:15.289 that she didn't have a car. It seems certain 00:09:15.289 --> 00:09:18.129 that she was picked up in some vehicle and driven 00:09:18.129 --> 00:09:21.610 to that location. It's revealed that there were 00:09:21.610 --> 00:09:24.610 tire tracks in the mud that night, suggesting 00:09:24.610 --> 00:09:27.210 that Maria and her daughter had been driven into 00:09:27.210 --> 00:09:31.090 the field where Maria was found. Investigators 00:09:31.090 --> 00:09:33.450 still don't know whether Maria knew the person 00:09:33.450 --> 00:09:36.009 that she got in the car with or if it was a stranger. 00:09:36.909 --> 00:09:41.389 At the time of the murder in 1992, no real DNA 00:09:41.389 --> 00:09:44.529 evidence was collected from the scene as, you 00:09:44.529 --> 00:09:47.909 know, it was still in its infancy and kind of 00:09:47.909 --> 00:09:51.610 getting started in criminal investigation. However, 00:09:51.769 --> 00:09:54.690 police are hopeful that advances in forensic 00:09:54.690 --> 00:09:57.509 technology could finally bring answers to her 00:09:57.509 --> 00:10:01.490 case. Tony Johnson says, quote, one of the big 00:10:01.490 --> 00:10:04.629 developments is the ability to get DNA from rootless 00:10:04.629 --> 00:10:08.860 hairs. Investigators did collect several hairs 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:12.220 at the scene. They were found on Maria's body 00:10:12.220 --> 00:10:15.559 and did not match her own hair. So investigators 00:10:15.559 --> 00:10:18.759 are hoping that this new forensic technology 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:21.980 will be able to pull a DNA sample out of the 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:25.519 hair and then ultimately lead to a hit in the 00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:48.690 system. Again, Tony Johnson says, Now that update 00:10:48.690 --> 00:10:52.690 was in 2022. I looked to see if there were any 00:10:52.690 --> 00:10:57.950 results or updates in the story from those hairless 00:10:57.950 --> 00:11:02.720 or those hairs without roots. But there doesn't 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:05.820 seem to be any update. I'm hopeful that maybe 00:11:05.820 --> 00:11:09.240 the tests are just very backlogged in California 00:11:09.240 --> 00:11:11.919 and maybe they haven't gotten to them yet. But 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:16.240 there are no more updates around that if they 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:18.960 did get a match or if they were able to extract 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:23.639 DNA from that at all. But with that, if you have 00:11:23.639 --> 00:11:26.759 any information about the murder of Maria Bianca 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:30.100 Cortes, please contact the San Diego Police Department. 00:11:35.309 --> 00:11:40.129 So that is the cold case of Maria Bianca Cortes. 00:11:40.690 --> 00:11:44.870 Just to speak on Maria quickly here at the top, 00:11:44.950 --> 00:11:49.429 I love that she was such a caring and present 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:54.629 person, especially in her commitment to motherhood 00:11:54.629 --> 00:11:58.389 and parenthood. It speaks volumes about how she 00:11:58.389 --> 00:12:01.710 was navigating her entire life about how she 00:12:01.710 --> 00:12:05.529 was just kind of committed to those roles as 00:12:05.529 --> 00:12:10.590 a person and as a mom. And she was building something 00:12:10.590 --> 00:12:16.950 beautiful for herself and for her daughter, for 00:12:16.950 --> 00:12:23.230 her family. I think she sounded awesome and unstoppable. 00:12:23.690 --> 00:12:27.139 Yeah. I really think so many of the same things 00:12:27.139 --> 00:12:29.320 you just said, like I really got the impression 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:33.259 that she was just like building this amazing 00:12:33.259 --> 00:12:36.120 life for herself, for her daughter, building 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:40.620 this home and like such an incredibly hard worker 00:12:40.620 --> 00:12:43.360 and just like dedicated to what she was doing. 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:46.659 Like it takes a lot of dedication to work multiple 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:50.220 jobs, but that's like dedication to a goal you're 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:53.799 trying to meet, you know, so. I just really admire 00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:58.419 her. I think she was an excellent person. Yeah, 00:12:58.460 --> 00:13:01.340 moving right into that, you know, she was someone 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:05.700 who was, yes, using but relying on public transit. 00:13:06.139 --> 00:13:11.000 You and I are no strangers to that. We both have 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:13.820 put in, I think, over 10 years of being public 00:13:13.820 --> 00:13:17.039 transit people with where we live, and it is 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:20.730 a whole skill set on its own. navigating your 00:13:20.730 --> 00:13:24.330 life, your jobs, your career through using and 00:13:24.330 --> 00:13:28.870 relying public transit. So while, you know, now 00:13:28.870 --> 00:13:32.909 we have access to Lyfts and Ubers and ride shares 00:13:32.909 --> 00:13:36.950 and taxis, it wasn't the same back then. So I 00:13:36.950 --> 00:13:40.649 understand her, you know, if it was kind of a 00:13:40.649 --> 00:13:43.429 last resort, but, you know, shit needed to be 00:13:43.429 --> 00:13:46.129 done. She needed to get to work. So she hopped 00:13:46.129 --> 00:13:51.080 in a car. And I would probably have done the 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:53.899 same back, you know, during the early 90s if 00:13:53.899 --> 00:13:58.639 I was trying to get to work. Because if you miss 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:01.919 that connecting bus, you're walking. Yeah. I 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:04.740 mean, I think of just tonight where, you know, 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:06.519 I was taking the train home from work and it 00:14:06.519 --> 00:14:08.440 was delayed. And I'm like refreshing my phone 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:11.139 again and again to try to figure out, you know, 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:13.519 if it's delayed and what I'm taking home to get 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:15.299 around this and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:18.200 You know, just thinking about in 1992, it's like, 00:14:18.299 --> 00:14:22.039 OK, if the train's delayed, like you won't know. 00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:25.779 You'll just have to sit there and either wait 00:14:25.779 --> 00:14:29.299 it out and hope it comes eventually or start 00:14:29.299 --> 00:14:31.840 walking, figure something else out. And yeah, 00:14:31.899 --> 00:14:33.799 like, you know, there were taxis back then, but 00:14:33.799 --> 00:14:35.879 you really had to actually see one and hail it. 00:14:35.940 --> 00:14:38.360 You couldn't really call it unless you got to 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:41.889 a phone. So, yeah, just. incredibly tough to 00:14:41.889 --> 00:14:45.450 get around on public transit, you know, just 00:14:45.450 --> 00:14:47.950 today. But, you know, without technology and 00:14:47.950 --> 00:14:51.409 convenience of rideshares, it would have been 00:14:51.409 --> 00:14:55.330 so much more difficult in 1992. It was. It was 00:14:55.330 --> 00:15:00.049 more difficult. Yeah. So I guess mentioning, 00:15:00.070 --> 00:15:04.669 you know, how she was navigating transit to get 00:15:04.669 --> 00:15:07.049 to her job takes us right into the timeline. 00:15:07.190 --> 00:15:10.580 And I know it's a pretty short one, but Something 00:15:10.580 --> 00:15:15.159 I just want to say as we start unpacking the 00:15:15.159 --> 00:15:18.899 timeline and her murder is that it feels odd 00:15:18.899 --> 00:15:23.179 to say that I'm thankful, but in this case, one 00:15:23.179 --> 00:15:27.100 of the only things I'm thankful for is how young 00:15:27.100 --> 00:15:29.840 her daughter was. And the only thing I can hope 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:33.860 for is that her daughter doesn't carry any memories 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:37.580 of what her mother's last moments were like. 00:15:38.990 --> 00:15:42.370 Yeah, my heart breaks thinking about this two 00:15:42.370 --> 00:15:46.049 -year -old little girl in these terrifying moments. 00:15:47.850 --> 00:15:51.830 And I hope she has no memories of it either. 00:15:51.909 --> 00:15:54.210 But, you know, we hear that phrase, like, the 00:15:54.210 --> 00:15:57.009 body keeps the score. So, like, I can't imagine 00:15:57.009 --> 00:16:01.809 the impression that this made on that little 00:16:01.809 --> 00:16:04.710 two -year -old's life and the ripple effects 00:16:04.710 --> 00:16:09.490 of that. I can't imagine. But I am so thankful 00:16:09.490 --> 00:16:14.570 that she wasn't physically harmed during this. 00:16:15.409 --> 00:16:18.710 I will say in listening to this, it immediately 00:16:18.710 --> 00:16:21.389 reminded me of a case we covered, I think two 00:16:21.389 --> 00:16:28.330 cases ago, Lori Bolger. And I know their timelines 00:16:28.330 --> 00:16:34.330 are different, obviously, but the shocking reveal 00:16:34.330 --> 00:16:38.350 of A young woman's body being found in the middle 00:16:38.350 --> 00:16:43.210 of the day in the middle of a field. Again, even 00:16:43.210 --> 00:16:46.210 more shocking that this is a case that there's 00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:49.169 very little information on. Again, I think it's 00:16:49.169 --> 00:16:52.169 awesome that there are new eyes on it and that 00:16:52.169 --> 00:16:56.350 people are looking for answers and the case has 00:16:56.350 --> 00:16:59.629 been reopened. But the two cases had striking 00:16:59.629 --> 00:17:04.170 similarities. Just shocks me that more people 00:17:04.170 --> 00:17:08.109 don't know about them because of what happened 00:17:08.109 --> 00:17:12.849 and how they were found. Yeah, Lori's case, we 00:17:12.849 --> 00:17:15.369 did cover it a couple episodes ago. And yeah, 00:17:15.470 --> 00:17:19.529 similar in the field, causes of death are different 00:17:19.529 --> 00:17:23.029 here. And timelines, like you mentioned, are 00:17:23.029 --> 00:17:25.910 different. But yeah, like you said, the description 00:17:25.910 --> 00:17:29.450 and like kind of that visual of like a body. 00:17:30.190 --> 00:17:32.289 In the middle of a field and in this case, you 00:17:32.289 --> 00:17:35.650 know, a child sitting on a body in the middle 00:17:35.650 --> 00:17:39.470 of the field, like it's very shocking to just 00:17:39.470 --> 00:17:42.809 like pull that image up. Now, I do have some 00:17:42.809 --> 00:17:45.529 questions about the timeline, more specifically 00:17:45.529 --> 00:17:49.230 around the information about her last sighting 00:17:49.230 --> 00:17:54.230 and that there are two accounts. One is law enforcement. 00:17:54.269 --> 00:17:58.279 And I just wanted to clarify. Whose is the others? 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:02.099 Or if there are, I guess I just wanted to circle 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:06.160 back to that part of the timeline and the information 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:10.160 you had. Okay, yes. So there are some questions 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:13.980 around this. But back in 1992, police say at 00:18:13.980 --> 00:18:16.799 that time that the last confirmed sighting of 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:20.059 Maria, she was seen walking toward Marina Boulevard 00:18:20.059 --> 00:18:24.440 with her two -year -old. And then the next time... 00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:29.599 Maria's found, she's near the 7500 block of Mission 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:34.700 Valley Drive or road. So that's about an 18 minute 00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:37.720 drive, but it's an hour bus trip, just like kind 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:39.559 of pulling up Google Maps, at least today. I 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:41.740 don't know how long it was back in the day, but 00:18:41.740 --> 00:18:44.720 today it's about an hour bus trip. So where she 00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:46.660 was last seen walking, where it was reported 00:18:46.660 --> 00:18:50.940 in 1992, that would suggest that she was going 00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:55.049 to get on the bus. And then in 2022, police say 00:18:55.049 --> 00:18:58.710 that they believe that Maria had taken the bus 00:18:58.710 --> 00:19:02.029 as far as Mission Valley and then accepted a 00:19:02.029 --> 00:19:04.849 ride. So it's somewhere along Mission Valley 00:19:04.849 --> 00:19:08.410 that she likely got off the bus and then into 00:19:08.410 --> 00:19:12.230 a car. But I'm not sure if police have ever found 00:19:12.230 --> 00:19:16.809 any other witnesses to place her either on the 00:19:16.809 --> 00:19:19.470 bus or near that area outside of her getting 00:19:19.470 --> 00:19:22.720 in the car. Does that answer your question? Yeah, 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:25.660 that clarifies a bunch of things for me, and 00:19:25.660 --> 00:19:32.140 it also takes me right into, you know, almost 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:34.559 right now, you know, the fact that there are 00:19:34.559 --> 00:19:37.779 eyes on the case again, something that I immediately 00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:42.119 thought of after, you know, you telling us that 00:19:42.119 --> 00:19:46.450 there were tire tracks seen. As far as 2026 goes 00:19:46.450 --> 00:19:51.130 and technological advancements in evidence, I'd 00:19:51.130 --> 00:19:54.369 just be really interested to see what's the make, 00:19:54.509 --> 00:19:57.170 model, year of the tires, what are the tracks, 00:19:57.410 --> 00:19:58.990 what are the dimensions, what are the measurements, 00:19:59.230 --> 00:20:02.430 because that can tell you a lot and might lead 00:20:02.430 --> 00:20:07.269 to who was driving that car and was it the car 00:20:07.269 --> 00:20:09.890 that had her in it? Yeah, I'd be so curious to 00:20:09.890 --> 00:20:12.029 know. You know, if they've been able to glean 00:20:12.029 --> 00:20:14.490 any of that information from the tire tracks 00:20:14.490 --> 00:20:17.549 that they were able to collect from the scene. 00:20:18.069 --> 00:20:20.549 Because, yeah, like you said, it can get really 00:20:20.549 --> 00:20:23.089 specific to the point where you can get some 00:20:23.089 --> 00:20:25.210 information or maybe maybe it's not. Maybe it's 00:20:25.210 --> 00:20:26.869 really general, but that's still more information. 00:20:26.990 --> 00:20:30.569 So I think in a case like this where information 00:20:30.569 --> 00:20:33.970 seems to be lacking, any and all details are 00:20:33.970 --> 00:20:37.109 welcome. Yeah. And including with the DNA, I 00:20:37.109 --> 00:20:39.410 know you mentioned that there were hairs that 00:20:39.410 --> 00:20:43.309 didn't match her that were found on her. So I 00:20:43.309 --> 00:20:47.049 am I mean, I know evidence in DNA can degrade 00:20:47.049 --> 00:20:50.269 over time, but I'm hopeful that that those were 00:20:50.269 --> 00:20:52.450 even thought of to be collected at the time, 00:20:52.509 --> 00:20:56.589 because that means that to me, it says that those 00:20:56.589 --> 00:21:00.769 officers at the time were really working the 00:21:00.769 --> 00:21:06.980 case and trying. So I'm hopeful of those discoveries 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:11.059 and the tests done on them. I hope that they 00:21:11.059 --> 00:21:15.599 reveal the information that all of us want, but 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:18.940 more than anything, I hope that it brings justice 00:21:18.940 --> 00:21:23.359 and peace to her daughter because her daughter 00:21:23.359 --> 00:21:27.599 sounds like, well, she sounds exactly like her. 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:33.460 Very committed and dedicated to... And, you know, 00:21:33.460 --> 00:21:36.839 unfortunately, a big part of her life is finding 00:21:36.839 --> 00:21:40.160 justice for who did this to her mom. But it's 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:42.319 incredible that she has stayed committed to it, 00:21:42.339 --> 00:21:45.759 just like her mom was committed to her. While 00:21:45.759 --> 00:21:50.140 this case is very heartbreaking, I'm eager to 00:21:50.140 --> 00:21:55.200 spread the word about who Maria was and dig into 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:58.480 more information that I can find on my own, honestly. 00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:01.759 I think it could have been really easy for Maria's 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:06.339 case to really just be cold from the very jump. 00:22:06.380 --> 00:22:10.000 And of course, it kind of is, right? But we do 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:13.240 have, you know, reporting on it. And there is 00:22:13.240 --> 00:22:16.279 an investigation now or, you know, reinvestigation 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:19.720 of it. But I think Maria's daughter really impacted 00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:24.119 a lot of investigators in this case. I think, 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:26.839 you know, coming to a crime scene and finding 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:31.220 this two year old who was so brave and, you know, 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:35.119 stayed with her mom until until the end, you 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:38.859 know, like that is that's so brave. And it's 00:22:38.859 --> 00:22:40.519 something that a two year old should never have 00:22:40.519 --> 00:22:44.640 to do. So I think a lot of investigators really 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:47.339 feel like they owe Maria's daughter an answer 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:51.980 in this because she was so brave. I think that's 00:22:51.980 --> 00:22:53.819 I think it's personal for a lot of investigators 00:22:53.819 --> 00:22:58.460 in this case. And frankly, like it feels personal 00:22:58.460 --> 00:23:01.799 for me. Like, you know, I think we should get 00:23:01.799 --> 00:23:03.619 some energy behind this case, like you said. 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:07.339 And I really hope that, you know, with this reinterview 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:09.599 or reinvestigation that was happening in 2022, 00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:12.920 you know, this hope that maybe we can pull some 00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:16.170 DNA that there's. Even more evidence that we're 00:23:16.170 --> 00:23:18.009 unaware of that, you know, police are keeping 00:23:18.009 --> 00:23:21.069 close to them. So I'm really hopeful that somewhere 00:23:21.069 --> 00:23:24.349 in there is DNA and that DNA is somewhere in 00:23:24.349 --> 00:23:27.930 a database that will get us answers for Maria's 00:23:27.930 --> 00:23:32.650 daughter and for Maria. Nobody should be allowed 00:23:32.650 --> 00:23:35.309 to walk around and not answer for what they did 00:23:35.309 --> 00:23:39.009 here because this this is awful. This I mean. 00:23:40.299 --> 00:23:43.980 You took one wonderful person out of this world, 00:23:44.420 --> 00:23:47.619 and then you really threatened the life of a 00:23:47.619 --> 00:23:51.200 very innocent two -year -old. Because while she 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:53.019 was unharmed, you know, she was starting to hit 00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:56.240 hyperthermia out there. So, like, bad things 00:23:56.240 --> 00:23:59.180 could have happened anyway. But ultimately, this 00:23:59.180 --> 00:24:01.839 case, it makes me really angry on a lot of levels. 00:24:01.980 --> 00:24:06.400 And so I want to turn that anger into energy, 00:24:06.619 --> 00:24:12.920 energy behind Maria's case. just in getting answers 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:16.759 and demanding answers and that resources continue 00:24:16.759 --> 00:24:19.759 to be used for Maria's case and getting those 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:23.079 answers. So again, if you have any information 00:24:23.079 --> 00:24:26.480 about the murder of Maria Bianca Cortes, please 00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:29.619 contact the San Diego Police Department at 619 00:24:29.619 --> 00:24:35.529 -531 -2293. And we will have a picture of Maria 00:24:35.529 --> 00:24:38.710 on our Instagram, at coldandmissing. Eli makes 00:24:38.710 --> 00:24:41.289 those graphics every week. So please share that 00:24:41.289 --> 00:24:45.069 picture. Let's get her case out there. Let's 00:24:45.069 --> 00:24:46.609 get more people talking about it. Let's get other 00:24:46.609 --> 00:24:49.329 podcasts covering it. Let's just get her case 00:24:49.329 --> 00:24:53.309 out there. And let the police know. We haven't 00:24:53.309 --> 00:24:55.109 forgot about her, and we still want to see answers 00:24:55.109 --> 00:24:57.609 here. So at coldandmissing, you can follow us 00:24:57.609 --> 00:25:00.049 there. And again, if we ever have to take a week 00:25:00.049 --> 00:25:02.960 off the podcast, we'll always update it. Thank 00:25:02.960 --> 00:25:33.819 you so much. If you could leave us five stars, 00:25:33.940 --> 00:25:36.700 it really goes a long way. And ultimately, it 00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:38.839 gets people listening to this case. So I see 00:25:38.839 --> 00:25:40.740 it as advocacy work. I think you should too. 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:43.319 So go ahead, leave five stars. Leave a written 00:25:43.319 --> 00:25:45.019 review if you're an Apple podcast. It would mean 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:47.380 the world to us. It always does. We celebrate 00:25:47.380 --> 00:25:49.940 each one that comes in. But that is all I have 00:25:49.940 --> 00:25:52.099 for you this week. Thank you so much for listening 00:25:52.099 --> 00:25:54.740 to Cold and Missing. I'm your host, Ali . And 00:25:54.740 --> 00:25:57.180 I'm your co -host, Eli. Have a good week and 00:25:57.180 --> 00:26:03.730 stay safe, y 'all. Stay safe, y 'all. Thank you.