Sheriff: Rosa Sandoval case "has not gone away" 15 years later

Mystery persists about her disappearance, death

SAN ANTONIO – Fifteen years after Rosa Sandoval disappeared, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said he intends to find whoever killed the 12-year-old and bring them to justice.

He said the case that began long before he became sheriff has not gone away.

Rosa, a student at Sky Harbour Elementary School, never made it to class. Her body was found months later, about seven miles from her home. 

The sheriff said the case apparently has been difficult to solve because not many people are willing to talk in detail about it.

“Whether they have the information or not, there just seems to be a lack of cooperation,” Salazar said.

Salazar said based on the case notes he’s studied by the San Antonio Police Department, which initially handled the case, and BCSO detectives, Rosa’s family was the subject of scrutiny and speculation at the time.

“In a case like this, that’s always the first place that we look,” Salazar said. “It’s always the first place that people encourage us to look.”

The sheriff said his cold case detectives want to talk to her family members again “if they’re so inclined.”

KSAT 12 has left messages for Rosa’s family at their home, but no one has replied.

“We’re going to go back and start at square one to see if there’s quite possibly anything new to be gleaned from something, if there’s anything that may have been forgotten or even something as simple as asking a question in a different way," Salazar said.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to call 210-335-6070 or email bcsotips@bexar.org.


About the Author

Jessie Degollado has been with KSAT since 1984. She is a general assignments reporter who covers a wide variety of stories. Raised in Laredo and as an anchor/reporter at KRGV in the Rio Grande Valley, Jessie is especially familiar with border and immigration issues. In 2007, Jessie also was inducted into the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame.

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