IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) — The plaque honors two boys. Jonathan Sellers and Charlie Keever. They were killed in a horrific crime in 1993, one that the Imperial Beach community never forgot.
The original plaque was reported stolen back in November.
This one was just put in, almost 33 years to the day the boys were abducted and murdered.
Milena Sellers Phillips and Maria Keever take their first look at the newly replaced plaque.
It bears the smiles of their sons, Jonathan and Charlie.
“I mean it holds a special place in our hearts because this is like all we have left of the boys,” said Milena Sellers Phillips, Jonathan’s mother. “This is the good thing.”
On March 27th, 1993, the boys were riding bikes near Otay River when they were abducted, molested, and killed.
The case went unsolved for years.
“I called the police three times a day, every single day,” said Maria Keever.
Finally, a DNA database pointed to Scott Erskine, who was found guilty and given the death penalty in 2004.
He died while incarcerated from COVID-19 complications.
“Sometimes I feel like it happened a long time ago, and sometimes I feel like it happened yesterday,” said Keever.
The grief turned into good when the mothers created a memorial and outdoor education activity center in Jonathan and Charlie's honor.
But when their plaque was stolen:
“It brought everything back,” said Sellers Phillips. “The anger, the pain, the all of that.”
But those in charge of maintenance had a quick fix.
“So back when they actually installed it, and they actually ordered the plaque, they ordered 2,” said Sellers Phillips. “I mean, isn't that beautiful?”
“What does it mean to you that it's been more than 30 years and people still remember Jonathan and Charlie, and people still talk about them, and obviously, there was such a big community effort to get this plaque replaced?” I asked.
“I'm proud to be a part of this community because I don't know if we would have received this type of support being anywhere else,” said Sellers Phillips.
Other plaques were stolen around the same time that the original one was.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Office told us it's unknown if the suspect in that case is connected.
