Justina Morales was a girl who went missing at an unknown date in 1995. Her mother's boyfriend was convicted of beating her to death after abusing her for years, but her body has never been found.
Case[]
Justina was born to Denise Solero. She frequently missed school, and after three months of absences, the school contacted her mother, who informed them that they were moving. In November 1995, Denise officially withdrew Justina from school. The family moved, but Justina was not enrolled in another school. She was no longer seen at her mother's home, and Denise claimed that Justina was living with her father.
In February 1997, a friend of Denise's went to the police and reported that Justina had been killed. Denise's boyfriend, Luis Santiago, had reportedly been sexually abusing Justina. Luis confessed that he had killed her on New Year's Eve 1995 by suffocating or beating her to death when she refused to get in the bath. Denise and Luis then put Justina's body in a trash bag and left in a vacant lot. It was never found and was presumably taken away by a garbage truck and destroyed.
Santiago was charged with manslaughter in her case and was sentenced to 6 to 19 years in prison. Denise had been complicit in the murder but took a plea deal and was only sentenced to probation.
Characteristics[]
- Brown hair.
- Brown eyes.
Sources[]
- Justina Morales at the Doe Network
- Justina Morales at the Charley Project
- Justina Morales on Wikipedia
- Justina Morales at Find a Grave