2 years after Erika Gaytan vanished, family goes to church praying for closure
EL PASO, Texas -- Tuesday was an emotional day for the family of Erika Gaytan, as it marked exactly two years since the disappearance of the El Paso woman.
Police believe she was murdered by a man she dated, but her body hasn't been found.
Gaytan's family went to church Tuesday evening to pray on the anniversary of this devastating day for them, with Gaytan's mother wiping tears from her eyes as the pain of her loss remained evident.
Family members wore shirts emblazoned with a smiling image of a younger Gaytan along with the words "siempre en nuestros corazones" - meaning "always in our hearts."
Meanwhile, Ricardo Marquez, the man accused of murdering Gaytan, is currently scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 10.
Police said he went out on a date with her to a concert at the El Paso County Coliseum on July 13, 2019 - the day she was last seen. After that, a search for Gaytan began as police believed she could be in danger and her family told ABC-7 it was unlike her to runaway and leave her 7-year-old son behind.
Weeks passed by and police later said they did not believe she voluntarily left or hid. Then months later in December 2019, Marquez was arrested in connection to her disappearance.
Police charged him with murder after they said they found Gaytan's blood in a Jeep he was driving. After searching the vehicle and his home for evidence, investigators indicated they believed he buried her body because they found a shovel and shoes filled with sand.
Police think he may have left her body in a desert area near Montana Avenue, as the last traffic camera on that road showed the Jeep going east and then returning about an hour later.
Gaytan's friends and family have searched for her body in the Red Sands area several times since then, but to no avail.
Gaytan's mother, standing outside the El Paso County courthouse a year after the suspect was arrested, told ABC-7 that her daughter deserved peace and she just wanted the man accused of in the killing to let the family know where Gaytan's body is.
Court documents obtained by ABC-7 indicated that Marquez told detectives he had taken Gaytan to his home after their date. The documents stated he also told investigators the two had a fight and Gaytan requested an Uber ride to leave. However, police said no such order was made from her phone.
Bond for Marquez was lowered from $1 million to $250,000 last August after his lawyer requested a reduction. However, jail records on Tuesday reflected he still remained behind bars.
