SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A South Bay family is in search of answers after a grandmother and former San Diegan was found murdered in a Tijuana apartment.
Every time Jennifer Gonzalez goes through her photos, she gets emotional.
“The memories, the pictures... This is all I have left,” said a tearful Jennifer.
Eight days ago, the body of Jennifer’s big sister, Clara Gonzalez, was found in her apartment in northern Tijuana.
“Her door was already forced open,” said Jennifer.
An odor led neighbors to call police.
Authorities told family the 48-year-old Clara was strangled and brutally beaten.
“They found my sister, tied up and on her bed. She was really beat up. Her face was bad. We had to have a closed casket,” said Jennifer. “Just look at pictures thinking, ‘What did you go through during the last hours of your life?’ But I know my sister was a fighter, so I know she fought.”
Jennifer also calls her sister, a mother of four and grandmother of five, loving and funny.
"Very outgoing. She made friends wherever she went,” said Jennifer.
Clara lived in the South Bay for nearly a decade before moving to Tijuana in 2013 to save money on housing.
The rest of her family remains in the South Bay.
Jennifer says more than a month ago, her sister reached out to family to connect with an estranged cousin, before leaving an odd message with that cousin's ex.
“She said, ‘I just want to say bye.’ That's what he said … I think she maybe felt like something was going to happen to her,” said Jennifer.
Jennifer says her sister, who worked at a convenience store, had no enemies, and can't imagine anyone who'd want to hurt her.
She hopes sharing her sister’s story will lead to a break in the case.
"She deserves justice. We all do… so she can be at peace,” said Jennifer.
ABC 10News reached out to Mexican authorities for a comment on the case and our newsroom is waiting to hear back.
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help the family with funeral expenses.
