October 30, 2023 • 20 mins
In broad daylight, in the early afternoon, on Halloween in 1989, 30-year-old Sylvia Salinas was working in her small corner grocery store in Galveston, Texas when she was murdered with a single stab to the heart. Her killer has never been caught.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Tell me a true crime story.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hey there, welcome to Tell Me a True Crime Story
podcast.
I'm your host, holly.
I'm so appreciative of you forbeing here.
I know that there are manyawesome true crime podcasts out
there, but you are herelistening to me and I love that.
Thank you for taking me alongwith you and allowing me to be a
(00:37):
small part of your day.
I hope that you and your familyare happy, healthy and together
forever.
Big hugs to all of you.
Please follow this podcast onFacebook, instagram and TikTok.
My username on all three ofthose is at Tell Me a True Crime
Story.
(00:58):
I received a new review on Applethis past week from Myrma19 and
it says enjoying your podcast.
Thank you so much, myrma, fortaking the time out to review
the podcast.
Big, big hugs to you.
I'm trying to get to 50 reviewson Apple by Halloween, so that
(01:19):
means I only need eight more.
If you haven't done so yet,just go to my show page and
scroll down until you seeratings and reviews and select a
star rating.
Then, below that, click onWrite a Review.
And I'm so happy to say that Igot three more five star ratings
on Spotify this past week, sonow I have 26.
(01:41):
Thank you, guys, so much forthat.
Spotify won't let me see whoyou are so that I can thank you
by name.
But thank you so very much andgreat big hugs to you.
My goal is to get to 30 ratingson Spotify by Halloween, and by
the time this comes out thatonly gives us one more day, so I
(02:02):
know you guys can help me do it, though.
Now let me tell you a true crimestory.
Like the last several episodes,the case we're going to cover
today happened on Halloween.
Let's go back in time togetherto 1989.
In 1989, a gallon of gas wasabout a dollar per gallon, a
(02:23):
dozen eggs was just 79 cents, aloaf of bread was 66 cents and
the minimum wage was $3.35.
1989 was also the year that TedBundy, age 42, was executed in
the electric chair in FloridaState Prison in Rayford, florida
.
(02:43):
The place where our story takesplace in this episode is
Galveston, texas.
Galveston is located inGalveston County and the county
is located on the Gulf Coast ofTexas, 80 miles southwest of the
Louisiana state line and aboutan hour's drive southeast of
Houston.
Galveston was incorporated in1839 and became the most active
(03:05):
port west of New Orleans,louisiana and the largest and
richest city in the state ofTexas.
By the year 1900, it had apopulation of about 37,000.
But on September 8, 1900, ahurricane known as the Great
Storm of 1900 devastatedGalveston, killing more than
(03:26):
6,000 residents and completelydestroying one-third of the city
.
It's the deadliest hurricane inUS history.
After that, the entire level ofthe city was raised by 8 feet,
and by 17 feet at the solidconcrete seawall, which spans
over 10 miles long.
The seawall effectivelyprotected Galveston from
(03:47):
subsequent hurricane storm surge.
But one hurricane that hitGalveston in 2008, hurricane Ike
, has implications in this storythat we'll discuss today.
You'll hear more about that ina bit.
That Halloween in 1989 was justanother Tuesday for 30-year-old
(04:08):
Sylvia Salinas, owner andoperator of Salinas Food Store,
a small corner store inGalveston, texas.
She was tending to her store,located at 3028 Avenue Q, which
was at the corner of 31st Streetand Avenue Q, just about a
quarter of a mile from the Gulfof Mexico.
Her parents had been at thestore visiting with her, but
(04:30):
around lunchtime they'd left towalk home, just two blocks away,
to eat some lunch.
Sylvia Salinas was born onJanuary 7, 1959, to her parents,
maria Elena Salinas andDerelyse Peña Salinas Sr.
She had one sister, lenora, andtwo brothers, derelyse Jr and
(04:50):
Jose.
I couldn't find muchinformation on Sylvia's
childhood, but she did grow upin Galveston.
Sylvia loved life and was veryoutgoing.
Her brother, derelyse Jr, saidthat she had one of the biggest
hearts and, quote of all theindividuals I've ever known, I
never knew anyone socompassionate end quote.
(05:13):
Sylvia was affectionately knownin the neighborhood and by
friends as Sill or Tia Sill orAunt Sill.
Sylvia had many friends.
That's because she knew all ofthe neighborhood patrons, not
just as customers but as friends.
Those that frequented hercorner store said she always had
a smile on her face and she waswarm and welcoming.
(05:34):
She didn't care if you paidwith a hundred dollar bill or
with food stamp coupons.
She treated everyone with thesame genuine friendliness.
She was always helping hercustomers in some way too.
She'd listen to their problemsor allow them to get groceries
on credit until they got paid.
Around 1.20 pm a privatesecurity firm received a silent
(05:57):
alarm from the Salinas foodstore and police were dispatched
to the scene.
Police arrived at the store injust four minutes.
Just inside the door, behindthe counter, they found Sylvia
dead from a single stab wound toher heart.
It appeared that Sylvia wastaken by surprise by her killer
because she was stabbed whileshe sat in a relaxed position on
(06:17):
a stool.
After they stabbed her, theyused the bloody murder weapon,
the knife, to pry open theregister in order to steal the
money inside.
This is what had triggered thesilent alarm that had been built
into the cash register.
The police found the cashregister empty, except for some
change and food stamp coupons.
(06:39):
Investigators weren't sure ifthe knife that was the murder
weapon was already in the storeor the killer brought it in.
According to news reports, backthen, the wooden handled knife
was shown to Sylvia's familymembers and they did not
recognize it, and it was saidthat Sylvia didn't butcher meat
in her store.
However, in March of this year,2023, sylvia's great-niece,
(07:01):
amanda Upton, said the oppositein an episode of the Catch my
Killer podcast.
Amanda said that it's herunderstanding that there was a
little meat market at the storeand it's thought that the knife
the murder weapon came from thatpart of the store.
Sylvia kept a machete and aloaded pistol close by, right
under the counter, but thoseweren't touched and she didn't
(07:23):
have any defensive wounds.
This makes investigators believethat Sylvia knew her killer
well enough to let them getclose to her.
She trusted them.
It could have been a closefriend, an acquaintance or just
a regular customer that shethought she knew well enough to
trust.
Sylvia's brother, darleys Jr,agreed with investigators.
He said that Sylvia never wouldhave let someone behind the
(07:45):
counter unless she knew them andfelt comfortable with them.
Sylvia's roommate and closefriend of over five years,
cynthia Marsh, thought the samething.
She said quote Sylvia was avery alert person.
She watched everyone in thestore.
That store was her life.
She's been doing it for 10years and she was a person who
was alert to danger.
(08:06):
She could tell when people whocame into her store were a
threat.
End.
Quote.
Father Albert Carrion, pastorof Reina de la Paz Catholic
Church, had administered lastrights to Sylvia on that
Halloween in 1989.
The next day he helped herfamily make her final
arrangements.
While Sylvia's family plannedher funeral, detectives were
(08:29):
busy interviewing witnesses andstudying evidence from the crime
scene.
They searched throughfingerprints lifted from the
scene and had to eliminatefriends, relatives and regular
customers.
They interviewed about 20 menand all of them were eliminated
as being Sylvia's killer.
During the initialinvestigation, authorities were
trying to locate two differentmen that were seen near the
(08:51):
store around the time ofSylvia's murder.
One of the men was a black mandressed in dark clothing.
He was talking on the payphoneright outside the store about 10
minutes before Sylvia wasmurdered.
Police believe that he may haveseen her killer.
The other man they wanted tolocate and talk to was a white
man with sandy blonde hair.
He was seen running down thealley by the store shortly after
(09:13):
the murder.
I couldn't find anything thatsaid that these men were ever
identified or that authoritieswere ever able to talk to them.
Detectives recorded the crimescene on videotape just hours
after Sylvia's murder.
The eerily silent video shows acrowd of about 10 to 12 people
gathered outside the store.
Police caution tape is strungup in front of the building,
(09:35):
tied off to a newspaper stand.
That's next to a payphone.
Above the phone booth, paintedon the wall in black all-capital
letters, it says Salinas foodstore.
Then the camera moves insidethe store and shows shoe prints
in blood on the floor and SylviaSalinas dead on the floor.
Next to the cash registerthere's a bloody knife with a
(09:56):
wooden handle.
There's blood on the drawer ofthe cash register.
Incredibly, that VHS videotapesurvived, along with the knife
that was used as the murderweapon when nearly all of the
other evidence in this cold caseand many other cold cases was
destroyed During Hurricane Ikein 2008.
In recent years ChristineTaylor, a great niece of Sylvia,
(10:20):
contacted ABC 13 Houstonreporter Courtney Fisher, who
covers cold cases in Texas.
Thankfully, courtney Fisher didcover Sylvia's murder in her
unsolved series and that helpedto reinvigorate the case and the
old video footage from themurder scene was actually
released to the public.
Then Galveston PoliceDepartment detective Michelle
(10:44):
Solenberger told Courtney Fisherof ABC News 13 that there were
fingerprints preserved from thecrime scene that were going to
be resubmitted to the crime lab.
Sylvia's brother, d'aerlieSalinas Jr, went back to the
Salinas food store for the firsttime in 28 years.
When he went there to talk toABC 13 Houston reporter Courtney
Fisher, he said he'd never beenback there because it was just
(11:07):
too painful.
In 1989 D'Aerlie's Jr said heregretted selling the small
grocery store to his sister.
If he hadn't sold it to her,she wouldn't have been working
there alone and wouldn't havebeen killed.
The Salinas family had operatedthe store for the 18 years
prior to Sylvia's murder, sincearound 1971.
D'aerlie's Jr had been theoriginal owner but had turned it
(11:30):
over to his parents, d'aerlieSalinas Sr and Maria Elena
Salinas.
Sylvia purchased the store in1988, a year before she was
killed.
The lease was due to expire in1990, just one year from when
Sylvia was murdered.
She planned to sell the storeand move to Hawaii to be near
her brother D'Aerlie's Jr, whowas living and working in
(11:52):
Honolulu, hawaii, at the time.
400 people attended a funeralmass for Sylvia that was held on
Friday, november 3, at MissionReyna de la Paz Catholic Church.
The mass was delivered in bothEnglish and Spanish.
Detectives said at the timethat Sylvia's killer may have
even attended her funeral.
(12:13):
Sylvia was laid to rest atLakeview Cemetery.
Her brother, dairleys Jr, wasquoted in the Galveston Daily
News as having said at herfuneral.
Quote we pray for Sylvia's soul.
My parents also asked forforgiveness for the person
responsible.
They pray for his soul.
My family is doing much betternow because we know Sylvia is
(12:33):
with the Lord.
Now we are able to cope throughthe Lord.
There's no other way".
Pamela Castile, a journalist forthe Galveston Daily News, wrote
a short piece about Sylvia thatwas published in the paper on
November 18, 1989.
It reads, quote Sylvia Salinaswas my friend.
I'd never been in her home orshe in mine.
(12:55):
We were never at the same partyor did lunch together or ran
into each other anywhere but ather little corner store on 31st
and Q.
I used to live and work in thatneighborhood.
I'd stop by Sylvia's forcigarettes and to let her talk
me into buying another pair ofher quote unquote cheapest but
coolest sunglasses on the island.
(13:16):
Mostly I stopped by for a laughat one of her rapid-fire jokes
or to marvel at the way shehandled her assortment of
customers.
Sylvia was tough on the rowdiesand tender with the children
who didn't have quite enoughpennies to pay for their candy.
She was kind to old people,tolerant of teenagers, a smart
businesswoman with a big heart.
(13:38):
It's heartbreaking, maddening,terrifying, to know that someone
walked into Sylvia's store onthe afternoon of October 31st
and stabbed this young Galvestongirl to death for a few dollars
.
That someone shouldn't get awaywith this cold-blooded murder.
Surely during the middle ofthat Tuesday at that busy street
corner, a neighbor or passerbysaw or heard something, anything
(14:02):
that could lead to theapprehension of Sylvia's
assailant.
While this killer's free, anyone of us could be his next
victim.
End quote their lease juniorsaid he knows there is a witness
out there somewhere and hewishes they'd come forward.
Cynthia Marsh, sylvia's friendand roommate, said, quote when
this happened, it was a busytime.
(14:22):
It was lunchtime, people werealways going in and out.
There was always activityaround Salinas Grocery.
Someone is always watchingPeople sit on their porches.
It is hard for me to believe atthat time of day that no one
saw anything.
There has to be someone outthere who saw something.
End quote.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able tofind anything.
(14:45):
That's been done in the case inthe last several years, since
the case was revitalized in 2018, but I'm still holding out hope
because you never know what'sgoing on behind the scenes in an
investigation.
This Halloween marks 34 yearssince Sylvia Salinas was
murdered.
That's longer than the 30 yearsshe lived on this earth.
(15:08):
His dad, dearly Sr, died in2010 at the age of 86, and her
mom died in 2021 at the age of94.
Even though both of Sylvia'sparents lived long lives, sadly,
they died without knowingjustice for their daughter and
without ever finding out whomurdered her Sylvia, her dad and
(15:28):
her mom were all laid to restat Lakeview Cemetery in
Galveston.
Dearly Sr is in the middle ofhis beloved wife of 64 years and
his daughter that was takenaway from him way too soon.
If you know anything about whathappened that day in broad
daylight around 1.20 pm onHalloween in 1989, please call
(15:49):
Galveston Police at 409-765-3702or Galveston Crime Stoppers at
409-763-8477.
You can also submit tips onlineat galvestoncrimestopperswebcom
and you can remain anonymous ifyou wish.
(16:09):
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of Tell Me a True Crime
Story.
Please follow the podcast onsocial media at Tell Me a True
Crime Story on Facebook,instagram and TikTok.
I have two ways you can supportthe podcast.
You can buy me a coffee bygoing to buymeacoffeecom slash
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They call it buy me a coffee,but it's really just a way to
(16:33):
show your appreciation and sendme a tip, don't forget.
The other way is totally free.
You can review this podcast onApple Podcast and Spotify.
You can write a short but sweetreview for the podcast on Apple
Podcast or give it a five starrating on Spotify.
Thank you again for being here.
(16:54):
I love you guys lots.
I wish you safety as you goabout your days.
Always be aware of yoursurroundings.
I hope that you all and yourfamily have good health and
happiness too.
Please join me in episode 34when I'll tell you another true
crime story.
Big, big hugs to each and everyone of you.
(17:16):
Bye, bye.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Sylvia Salinas' family reached out to our own
Courtney Fisher 28 years aftershe was killed during a robbery
at her store.
Now detectives are sharing newvideo and new hope.
In this case, durlis Salinas,when I first walked up, hasn't
been to his sister's old store.
It hit me all over again In 28years.
(17:40):
And, uh, it breaks the heartyou know this is where Sylvia
Salinas was murdered onHalloween Day 1989.
She didn't deserve to die thatway.
Nobody does.
Her 30 year old, was sittingbehind the register when she was
stabbed in the heart.
Detectives shot this video merehours after the murder the
(18:03):
killer's footprints, the bloodyknife, the very, very large
knife Never seen by the publicuntil now.
Investigators say the killer,pride, opened the register with
the murder weapon, then stoleall the cash.
Salinas didn't fight.
It appeared very personal,never grabbed the pistol or
machete.
She kept close by, which is whydetectives think she knew and
(18:25):
trusted her killer.
About 20 men were interviewed,all of them eliminated as the
murderer.
But fingerprints were found atthe scene and preserved.
Detective Michelle Sullenbergersays now she plans to resubmit
those prints.
The family is actually alwaysthe driving force in these cases
to get some sort of closure forthe family.
So I'm hopeful.
(18:46):
The Salinas family is hopefultoo.
Good memories are difficult tomove past, but the good ones she
had one of the biggest heartsAlways win.
Christine Taylor never met hergreat aunt Sylvia.
I hear lots of stories abouther, but when she saw our
stories digging into unsolvedmurders, to be honest I figured
(19:07):
it was a sign from my auntSylvia.
She called.
So Salinas isn't forgotten.
We got the help that we neededand as I stand here in front of
this store 28 years after thathorrible, fateful day.
We do have some good news.
I just spoke to the detectiveyesterday on this case and she
says now, because of this story,because of the attention it's
(19:28):
gotten, they are going toreevaluate some of the evidence.
Finally, that was never doneafter all those years, and
technology had changed.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Tell me a true crime story.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hey there, welcome to Tell Me a True Crime Story
podcast.
I'm your host, holly.
I'm so appreciative of you forbeing here.
I know that there are manyawesome true crime podcasts out
there, but you are herelistening to me and I love that.
Thank you for taking me alongwith you and allowing me to be a
(00:37):
small part of your day.
I hope that you and your familyare happy, healthy and together
forever.
Big hugs to all of you.
Please follow this podcast onFacebook, instagram and TikTok.
My username on all three ofthose is at Tell Me a True Crime
Story.
(00:58):
I received a new review on Applethis past week from Myrma19 and
it says enjoying your podcast.
Thank you so much, myrma, fortaking the time out to review
the podcast.
Big, big hugs to you.
I'm trying to get to 50 reviewson Apple by Halloween, so that
(01:19):
means I only need eight more.
If you haven't done so yet,just go to my show page and
scroll down until you seeratings and reviews and select a
star rating.
Then, below that, click onWrite a Review.
And I'm so happy to say that Igot three more five star ratings
on Spotify this past week, sonow I have 26.
(01:41):
Thank you, guys, so much forthat.
Spotify won't let me see whoyou are so that I can thank you
by name.
But thank you so very much andgreat big hugs to you.
My goal is to get to 30 ratingson Spotify by Halloween, and by
the time this comes out thatonly gives us one more day, so I
(02:02):
know you guys can help me do it, though.
Now let me tell you a true crimestory.
Like the last several episodes,the case we're going to cover
today happened on Halloween.
Let's go back in time togetherto 1989.
In 1989, a gallon of gas wasabout a dollar per gallon, a
(02:23):
dozen eggs was just 79 cents, aloaf of bread was 66 cents and
the minimum wage was $3.35.
1989 was also the year that TedBundy, age 42, was executed in
the electric chair in FloridaState Prison in Rayford, florida
.
(02:43):
The place where our story takesplace in this episode is
Galveston, texas.
Galveston is located inGalveston County and the county
is located on the Gulf Coast ofTexas, 80 miles southwest of the
Louisiana state line and aboutan hour's drive southeast of
Houston.
Galveston was incorporated in1839 and became the most active
(03:05):
port west of New Orleans,louisiana and the largest and
richest city in the state ofTexas.
By the year 1900, it had apopulation of about 37,000.
But on September 8, 1900, ahurricane known as the Great
Storm of 1900 devastatedGalveston, killing more than
(03:26):
6,000 residents and completelydestroying one-third of the city
.
It's the deadliest hurricane inUS history.
After that, the entire level ofthe city was raised by 8 feet,
and by 17 feet at the solidconcrete seawall, which spans
over 10 miles long.
The seawall effectivelyprotected Galveston from
(03:47):
subsequent hurricane storm surge.
But one hurricane that hitGalveston in 2008, hurricane Ike
, has implications in this storythat we'll discuss today.
You'll hear more about that ina bit.
That Halloween in 1989 was justanother Tuesday for 30-year-old
(04:08):
Sylvia Salinas, owner andoperator of Salinas Food Store,
a small corner store inGalveston, texas.
She was tending to her store,located at 3028 Avenue Q, which
was at the corner of 31st Streetand Avenue Q, just about a
quarter of a mile from the Gulfof Mexico.
Her parents had been at thestore visiting with her, but
(04:30):
around lunchtime they'd left towalk home, just two blocks away,
to eat some lunch.
Sylvia Salinas was born onJanuary 7, 1959, to her parents,
maria Elena Salinas andDerelyse Peña Salinas Sr.
She had one sister, lenora, andtwo brothers, derelyse Jr and
(04:50):
Jose.
I couldn't find muchinformation on Sylvia's
childhood, but she did grow upin Galveston.
Sylvia loved life and was veryoutgoing.
Her brother, derelyse Jr, saidthat she had one of the biggest
hearts and, quote of all theindividuals I've ever known, I
never knew anyone socompassionate end quote.
(05:13):
Sylvia was affectionately knownin the neighborhood and by
friends as Sill or Tia Sill orAunt Sill.
Sylvia had many friends.
That's because she knew all ofthe neighborhood patrons, not
just as customers but as friends.
Those that frequented hercorner store said she always had
a smile on her face and she waswarm and welcoming.
(05:34):
She didn't care if you paidwith a hundred dollar bill or
with food stamp coupons.
She treated everyone with thesame genuine friendliness.
She was always helping hercustomers in some way too.
She'd listen to their problemsor allow them to get groceries
on credit until they got paid.
Around 1.20 pm a privatesecurity firm received a silent
(05:57):
alarm from the Salinas foodstore and police were dispatched
to the scene.
Police arrived at the store injust four minutes.
Just inside the door, behindthe counter, they found Sylvia
dead from a single stab wound toher heart.
It appeared that Sylvia wastaken by surprise by her killer
because she was stabbed whileshe sat in a relaxed position on
(06:17):
a stool.
After they stabbed her, theyused the bloody murder weapon,
the knife, to pry open theregister in order to steal the
money inside.
This is what had triggered thesilent alarm that had been built
into the cash register.
The police found the cashregister empty, except for some
change and food stamp coupons.
(06:39):
Investigators weren't sure ifthe knife that was the murder
weapon was already in the storeor the killer brought it in.
According to news reports, backthen, the wooden handled knife
was shown to Sylvia's familymembers and they did not
recognize it, and it was saidthat Sylvia didn't butcher meat
in her store.
However, in March of this year,2023, sylvia's great-niece,
(07:01):
amanda Upton, said the oppositein an episode of the Catch my
Killer podcast.
Amanda said that it's herunderstanding that there was a
little meat market at the storeand it's thought that the knife
the murder weapon came from thatpart of the store.
Sylvia kept a machete and aloaded pistol close by, right
under the counter, but thoseweren't touched and she didn't
(07:23):
have any defensive wounds.
This makes investigators believethat Sylvia knew her killer
well enough to let them getclose to her.
She trusted them.
It could have been a closefriend, an acquaintance or just
a regular customer that shethought she knew well enough to
trust.
Sylvia's brother, darleys Jr,agreed with investigators.
He said that Sylvia never wouldhave let someone behind the
(07:45):
counter unless she knew them andfelt comfortable with them.
Sylvia's roommate and closefriend of over five years,
cynthia Marsh, thought the samething.
She said quote Sylvia was avery alert person.
She watched everyone in thestore.
That store was her life.
She's been doing it for 10years and she was a person who
was alert to danger.
(08:06):
She could tell when people whocame into her store were a
threat.
End.
Quote.
Father Albert Carrion, pastorof Reina de la Paz Catholic
Church, had administered lastrights to Sylvia on that
Halloween in 1989.
The next day he helped herfamily make her final
arrangements.
While Sylvia's family plannedher funeral, detectives were
(08:29):
busy interviewing witnesses andstudying evidence from the crime
scene.
They searched throughfingerprints lifted from the
scene and had to eliminatefriends, relatives and regular
customers.
They interviewed about 20 menand all of them were eliminated
as being Sylvia's killer.
During the initialinvestigation, authorities were
trying to locate two differentmen that were seen near the
(08:51):
store around the time ofSylvia's murder.
One of the men was a black mandressed in dark clothing.
He was talking on the payphoneright outside the store about 10
minutes before Sylvia wasmurdered.
Police believe that he may haveseen her killer.
The other man they wanted tolocate and talk to was a white
man with sandy blonde hair.
He was seen running down thealley by the store shortly after
(09:13):
the murder.
I couldn't find anything thatsaid that these men were ever
identified or that authoritieswere ever able to talk to them.
Detectives recorded the crimescene on videotape just hours
after Sylvia's murder.
The eerily silent video shows acrowd of about 10 to 12 people
gathered outside the store.
Police caution tape is strungup in front of the building,
(09:35):
tied off to a newspaper stand.
That's next to a payphone.
Above the phone booth, paintedon the wall in black all-capital
letters, it says Salinas foodstore.
Then the camera moves insidethe store and shows shoe prints
in blood on the floor and SylviaSalinas dead on the floor.
Next to the cash registerthere's a bloody knife with a
(09:56):
wooden handle.
There's blood on the drawer ofthe cash register.
Incredibly, that VHS videotapesurvived, along with the knife
that was used as the murderweapon when nearly all of the
other evidence in this cold caseand many other cold cases was
destroyed During Hurricane Ikein 2008.
In recent years ChristineTaylor, a great niece of Sylvia,
(10:20):
contacted ABC 13 Houstonreporter Courtney Fisher, who
covers cold cases in Texas.
Thankfully, courtney Fisher didcover Sylvia's murder in her
unsolved series and that helpedto reinvigorate the case and the
old video footage from themurder scene was actually
released to the public.
Then Galveston PoliceDepartment detective Michelle
(10:44):
Solenberger told Courtney Fisherof ABC News 13 that there were
fingerprints preserved from thecrime scene that were going to
be resubmitted to the crime lab.
Sylvia's brother, d'aerlieSalinas Jr, went back to the
Salinas food store for the firsttime in 28 years.
When he went there to talk toABC 13 Houston reporter Courtney
Fisher, he said he'd never beenback there because it was just
(11:07):
too painful.
In 1989 D'Aerlie's Jr said heregretted selling the small
grocery store to his sister.
If he hadn't sold it to her,she wouldn't have been working
there alone and wouldn't havebeen killed.
The Salinas family had operatedthe store for the 18 years
prior to Sylvia's murder, sincearound 1971.
D'aerlie's Jr had been theoriginal owner but had turned it
(11:30):
over to his parents, d'aerlieSalinas Sr and Maria Elena
Salinas.
Sylvia purchased the store in1988, a year before she was
killed.
The lease was due to expire in1990, just one year from when
Sylvia was murdered.
She planned to sell the storeand move to Hawaii to be near
her brother D'Aerlie's Jr, whowas living and working in
(11:52):
Honolulu, hawaii, at the time.
400 people attended a funeralmass for Sylvia that was held on
Friday, november 3, at MissionReyna de la Paz Catholic Church.
The mass was delivered in bothEnglish and Spanish.
Detectives said at the timethat Sylvia's killer may have
even attended her funeral.
(12:13):
Sylvia was laid to rest atLakeview Cemetery.
Her brother, dairleys Jr, wasquoted in the Galveston Daily
News as having said at herfuneral.
Quote we pray for Sylvia's soul.
My parents also asked forforgiveness for the person
responsible.
They pray for his soul.
My family is doing much betternow because we know Sylvia is
(12:33):
with the Lord.
Now we are able to cope throughthe Lord.
There's no other way".
Pamela Castile, a journalist forthe Galveston Daily News, wrote
a short piece about Sylvia thatwas published in the paper on
November 18, 1989.
It reads, quote Sylvia Salinaswas my friend.
I'd never been in her home orshe in mine.
(12:55):
We were never at the same partyor did lunch together or ran
into each other anywhere but ather little corner store on 31st
and Q.
I used to live and work in thatneighborhood.
I'd stop by Sylvia's forcigarettes and to let her talk
me into buying another pair ofher quote unquote cheapest but
coolest sunglasses on the island.
(13:16):
Mostly I stopped by for a laughat one of her rapid-fire jokes
or to marvel at the way shehandled her assortment of
customers.
Sylvia was tough on the rowdiesand tender with the children
who didn't have quite enoughpennies to pay for their candy.
She was kind to old people,tolerant of teenagers, a smart
businesswoman with a big heart.
(13:38):
It's heartbreaking, maddening,terrifying, to know that someone
walked into Sylvia's store onthe afternoon of October 31st
and stabbed this young Galvestongirl to death for a few dollars
.
That someone shouldn't get awaywith this cold-blooded murder.
Surely during the middle ofthat Tuesday at that busy street
corner, a neighbor or passerbysaw or heard something, anything
(14:02):
that could lead to theapprehension of Sylvia's
assailant.
While this killer's free, anyone of us could be his next
victim.
End quote their lease juniorsaid he knows there is a witness
out there somewhere and hewishes they'd come forward.
Cynthia Marsh, sylvia's friendand roommate, said, quote when
this happened, it was a busytime.
(14:22):
It was lunchtime, people werealways going in and out.
There was always activityaround Salinas Grocery.
Someone is always watchingPeople sit on their porches.
It is hard for me to believe atthat time of day that no one
saw anything.
There has to be someone outthere who saw something.
End quote.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able tofind anything.
(14:45):
That's been done in the case inthe last several years, since
the case was revitalized in 2018, but I'm still holding out hope
because you never know what'sgoing on behind the scenes in an
investigation.
This Halloween marks 34 yearssince Sylvia Salinas was
murdered.
That's longer than the 30 yearsshe lived on this earth.
(15:08):
His dad, dearly Sr, died in2010 at the age of 86, and her
mom died in 2021 at the age of94.
Even though both of Sylvia'sparents lived long lives, sadly,
they died without knowingjustice for their daughter and
without ever finding out whomurdered her Sylvia, her dad and
(15:28):
her mom were all laid to restat Lakeview Cemetery in
Galveston.
Dearly Sr is in the middle ofhis beloved wife of 64 years and
his daughter that was takenaway from him way too soon.
If you know anything about whathappened that day in broad
daylight around 1.20 pm onHalloween in 1989, please call
(15:49):
Galveston Police at 409-765-3702or Galveston Crime Stoppers at
409-763-8477.
You can also submit tips onlineat galvestoncrimestopperswebcom
and you can remain anonymous ifyou wish.
(16:09):
Thank you for listening to thisepisode of Tell Me a True Crime
Story.
Please follow the podcast onsocial media at Tell Me a True
Crime Story on Facebook,instagram and TikTok.
I have two ways you can supportthe podcast.
You can buy me a coffee bygoing to buymeacoffeecom slash
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They call it buy me a coffee,but it's really just a way to
(16:33):
show your appreciation and sendme a tip, don't forget.
The other way is totally free.
You can review this podcast onApple Podcast and Spotify.
You can write a short but sweetreview for the podcast on Apple
Podcast or give it a five starrating on Spotify.
Thank you again for being here.
(16:54):
I love you guys lots.
I wish you safety as you goabout your days.
Always be aware of yoursurroundings.
I hope that you all and yourfamily have good health and
happiness too.
Please join me in episode 34when I'll tell you another true
crime story.
Big, big hugs to each and everyone of you.
(17:16):
Bye, bye.
Speaker 3 (17:18):
Sylvia Salinas' family reached out to our own
Courtney Fisher 28 years aftershe was killed during a robbery
at her store.
Now detectives are sharing newvideo and new hope.
In this case, durlis Salinas,when I first walked up, hasn't
been to his sister's old store.
It hit me all over again In 28years.
(17:40):
And, uh, it breaks the heartyou know this is where Sylvia
Salinas was murdered onHalloween Day 1989.
She didn't deserve to die thatway.
Nobody does.
Her 30 year old, was sittingbehind the register when she was
stabbed in the heart.
Detectives shot this video merehours after the murder the
(18:03):
killer's footprints, the bloodyknife, the very, very large
knife Never seen by the publicuntil now.
Investigators say the killer,pride, opened the register with
the murder weapon, then stoleall the cash.
Salinas didn't fight.
It appeared very personal,never grabbed the pistol or
machete.
She kept close by, which is whydetectives think she knew and
(18:25):
trusted her killer.
About 20 men were interviewed,all of them eliminated as the
murderer.
But fingerprints were found atthe scene and preserved.
Detective Michelle Sullenbergersays now she plans to resubmit
those prints.
The family is actually alwaysthe driving force in these cases
to get some sort of closure forthe family.
So I'm hopeful.
(18:46):
The Salinas family is hopefultoo.
Good memories are difficult tomove past, but the good ones she
had one of the biggest heartsAlways win.
Christine Taylor never met hergreat aunt Sylvia.
I hear lots of stories abouther, but when she saw our
stories digging into unsolvedmurders, to be honest I figured
(19:07):
it was a sign from my auntSylvia.
She called.
So Salinas isn't forgotten.
We got the help that we neededand as I stand here in front of
this store 28 years after thathorrible, fateful day.
We do have some good news.
I just spoke to the detectiveyesterday on this case and she
says now, because of this story,because of the attention it's
(19:28):
gotten, they are going toreevaluate some of the evidence.
Finally, that was never doneafter all those years, and
technology had changed.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
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