CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — A family's decades-long wait for justice is now up in the air after they say Chula Vista Police lost a crucial piece of evidence in a 22-year-old cold case.
In January, four men were arrested for the 2004 murder of Ryan Cunningham, but his family says they're now being told the case is in jeopardy.
The murder happened right outside La Bella's in downtown Chula Vista in March 2004. The family was hoping for justice, but says the District Attorney's Office has now told them Chula Vista police lost surveillance video tied to the case.
Hannah Rangel has only been back at La Bella's in downtown Chula Vista twice since her brother Ryan was killed in 2004, once when the suspects in his murder were arrested this January, and again Friday.
"I felt hopeful at that time, and today it doesn't feel hopeful anymore; it feels heavy again," Rangel said.
"I still cry every time I think about it. The last time I spoke publicly about my brother was when I gave his eulogy at 14 years old," Rangel said.
Cunningham was beaten and stabbed outside the pizzeria, and for over 20 years, the case went cold. At the time of the murder, his mom appeared on ABC 10News pleading for answers.
"I want everybody to know that my son mattered and he was important and I love him and miss him," Cunningham's mother said.
In January, the District Attorney charged four men, including who they called a high-ranking member of a Mexican drug cartel. The District Attorney says the cartel member accused Cunningham of stealing some car keys and called three "gang associates" for backup. The D.A. says Cunningham was an innocent bystander.
The case was supposed to go to trial next year, with the family finally hoping for justice, until Rangel got a call Thursday from the district attorney on the case.
"He let me know that the Chula Vista Police Department mishandled and lost the video surveillance from La Bella's, which actually showed the murder take place on the patio," Rangel said.
Rangel says the District Attorney told her that without the video, it would be difficult to move forward with second-degree murder charges.
"So it kind of seems like we get nothing or we get manslaughter with likely probation, and it just feels. Unfair. It feels wrong," Rangel said.
Chula Vista police didn't respond to ABC 10News' multiple requests for comment. The District Attorney's Office told us they can't comment as the matter is still playing out in court.
Rangel now worries her brother will never get justice, and wants answers from Chula Vista PD.
"What is the Chula Vista Police Department doing to make sure that this doesn't happen to other families?" Rangel said.
"I would lose my job if I made a less mistake, a smaller mistake. I would lose my job," Rangel said.
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