MINNEAPOLIS — Loved ones of 19-year-old Yadhira Romero Martinez are remembering her one week after she was found dead inside a Minneapolis home.
Martinez's cousin – Jenny Smith – says the family initially filed a missing persons report when she didn't come home from work.
"My brother was actually the one that was looking for her," said Smith. "We couldn't find her, so obviously we reported to authorities, but it was taking a long time."
Minneapolis police later announced the arrest of a 23-year-old Minneapolis man after he fled to Ohio.
A few days later, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office charged him with second-degree murder in connection to Martinez's death. According to a criminal complaint, the suspect was seen leaving a room he rents at a home on 18th Avenue South. The landlord called authorities after she tried to check on the suspect’s guest, but the door was locked. She said the suspect insisted the woman had too much to drink and passed out. When fire officials arrived, they found Martinez dead.
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"How does the community come together and say what can we do to support those where we may be able," says Patti Tototzintle, President of Casa De Esperanza. "With everything else going on in Minnesota, it takes the wind out of the sails."
While her loved ones are choosing to remember her life, they're praying for justice.
"We definitely want justice and him to get what he deserves and we just want to put her peace and get her home to her parents," says Smith.
A Gofundme was created to help the family.