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3 years later: Parents plan to raise reward in daughter's Tomball murder

Elizabeth Barraza was killed on Jan. 25, 2019, while setting up a garage sale outside her Tomball home.

TOMBALL, Texas — Next week will mark three years since 29-year-old Elizabeth Barraza was shot to death while she was setting up a garage sale outside her home in Tomball.

Her parents, alongside Crime Stoppers of Houston, are planning to announce an increased reward on Jan. 25, which will mark three years since her death.

“I think that’s the hardest part, not knowing why someone would want to do this," Barraza's mother Rosemary Nuelle said.

Since the new year, Barraza's parents have been raising money to increase the reward.

“It’s a daily re-telling of her story, it’s lots of outreach," Barraza's father Bob Nuelle said.

Liz, as her friends called her, was happily married, working full-time and a huge fan of Star Wars. She was even a member of the 501st Legion.

Her parents said she was kind, silly and had a huge heart for helping others. They have no clue why she would have been targeted.

“How did they know she would be standing on that driveway, alone at 6:50 a.m. in the morning? On Friday, January 25th, that to me, is like really. I think that might be the key," Bob Nuelle said.

The suspect was seen on home surveillance video. Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the suspect is dressed in what appears to be a disguise.

Liz had been setting up a garage sale outside her Tomball home, when the video shows the suspect walking right up and shooting her. Also caught on camera is the suspect’s black, four-door Nissan Frontier circling the neighborhood before and after the shooting.

“Clearly, they were there early in the morning, hours before she was out of bed, driving by, to see what truck Sergio (Barraza's husband) was driving. So, they would know when he left the subdivision and she would be by herself," Bob Nuelle said.

It’s the little things her parents hang onto -- Harry Potter shoes she drew herself and a coin made in her honor. All of them are reminders to keep fighting for their daughter.

“We want to get this person off the street, we want to get justice for our daughter because she deserves that," Bob Nuelle said.

A daughter whose life continues to inspire them to keep talking, keep sharing her story because one day they believe the right person will step in.

“I think it can be solved, I whole-heartedly want it to be solved, I don’t know how long it will take but you know what, for as long as it takes, we are going to be out there and we are going to be fighting for it because somebody does know something," Rosemary Nuelle said.

The increased reward will be announced at a news conference on Tuesday. Her parents hope the money will encourage someone to come forward. If you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

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