Years After Their Loved Ones' Murders In Cicero, Families Still Waiting For Answers From Police
CICERO, Ill. (CBS) -- A new year, a new push by parents in Cicero. They want to know why years – in some cases more than a decade – have gone by without any movement in their sons' homicide cases.
CBS 2 Morning Insider Lauren Victory takes us inside their fight for justice.
It might border high-crime areas of Chicago, but the town of Cicero's average amount of homicides each year can be counted on one finger.
This group falls into the small but unfortunate category of victims' parents.
Thirty-year-old Lino Diaz left behind two kids with their grandma when he was shot and killed in 2012.
"I know those boys hurt for their dad," said his mother, Genie Neida Hernandez.
Then there's Kevin Anthony Sanders, whose mom has been grieving for more than a decade.
"I miss him more as the time goes by. It gets harder, definitely harder," Rosa Sanders said.
Also killed on 55th Court were Horacio Mendoza and his girlfriend, Jya Acevedo.
Mendoza's father, Ralph, said he remembers the sound of the gunfire that killed his son in 2009 like yesterday.
"As I turned to go back to the dining room, I heard the shots," he said.
Almost 14 years ago, 16-year-old Mark Anthony Ballard went for groceries and didn't come back.
"They chased him down the sidewalk. He was shot four times," said his mother, Selena Szwarc.
Unfathomable loss bonded these parents together. So has something else: the frustration of no arrests.
A town of Cicero spokesperson said investigations are ongoing in these cases. He called each case a priority for the Cicero Police Department; something these parents find hard to believe.
"Why aren't these murders in Cicero being solved? Their caseload is not heavy as Chicago is," Rosa Sanders said.
"At least do your job or tell us something," Ralph Mendoza said. "Put yourselves in our shoes."
Down but not defeated; they'll continue to plaster their pleas across the community.
"I'm going to keep being my son's voice, but I need help," Genie Hernandez said.
CBS 2 asked for a sitdown interview with the Cicero police superintendent and never got an answer back on that.
Cicero's spokesperson said detectives will pursue any new information that comes in.
- Kevin Anthony Sanders, murdered on 11/22/2010 on the 1600 block of 55th Court
- Mark Anthony Ballard, murdered 03/17/2007 on the 5200 block of West 30th Place
- Lino Diaz shot May 4, 2012 at 2833 S. 50th Ct. He died three weeks later.
- Horacio Mendoza and Jya Acevedo, murdered 10/20/2009 on the 1600 block of 55th Court
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