Fort Worth 2004 cold case: Family, police rekindle investigation into missing woman

Police rekindle investigation into 2004 missing woman

The family of a woman who went missing in Fort Worth have hope that, after more than 20 years, the disappearance of Sonia Moreno will be solved.

FORT WORTH, Texas - The family of a woman who went missing in Fort Worth have hope that, after more than 20 years, the disappearance of Sonia Moreno will be solved.

After over two decades, Moreno's family still has no answers in her disappearance. Now, after meeting with a Fort Worth Police Department Detective, they have rekindled a drive to uncover the truth.

The search for Sonia Moreno

The backstory:

Moreno, a mother of three children, was 32 years old when she was last seen in December 2004. 

It was December 12, 2004. Moreno had stayed the night at her best friend’s home here on Galveston Avenue on Fort Worth’s south side.

Earlier that night, she had an argument at a nightclub with the man she was dating.

A police document indicates that a friend told detectives the suspect, Jorge Meza, called the residence to speak with Moreno, then picked up Moreno around 5 a.m. 

A judge later issued a warrant for Meza’s arrest for kidnapping.

In March 2005, Moreno's vehicle was discovered in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Soon afterward, the case went cold.

Fort Worth cold case reopens

The Latest:

Now, after meeting earlier this week with a Fort Worth PD detective, Marya Alanis, Moreno’s sister, Alanis says there will be a renewed effort to determine what happened to Moreno.

What they're saying:

Alanis says the family has had little to go on since her sister's disappearance. What they know, she says, has to do with the suspicion of Meza.

"From what I know of the story, they’d gotten into an argument, and several times he had threatened her before, that if she left him harm was going to be done," Alanis said.

The family has been suffering from their loss for over two decades.

"It’s been hard, it's been really hard for everybody; for my parents, my siblings, my nieces who have grown without a mother, and it’s time," Alanis said.

Moreno’s daughter, Sandy Ronquillo, was 8 years old at the time of the suspected kidnapping.

"She did everything in her power to make sure we were happy and safe and protected," Ronquillo said. "Very loving."

Now that Fort Worth PD has expressed an interest in reopening the investigation, the family has new hope for answers.

"He gave us his word that he would put his time and effort into this case and look at everything with a new fresh set of eyes," Alanis said. "And that’s all we’re asking for."

The family has a clear goal.

"To find her," said Alanis. "My parents are elderly now, and we want to give them answers. We want them to know where their daughter is."