CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) — This Labor Day weekend marks three years since David Bruely and Joseph Arias were shot and killed in Chula Vista, and their case remains unsolved.
That's why Deborah Schlemmer returned to the Valle Lido Park where the shooting took place, continuing her annual tradition of seeking justice for her son and step-grandson.
"So I'm hoping that somebody comes forth and speaks out for, you know, justice for these guys," Schlemmer said.
Every Labor Day weekend, Schlemmer hangs banners and posts flyers around the area where Bruely and Arias were killed on Aug. 30, 2022. She even talks to strangers about the case, hoping someone will come forward with information.
"That's why I do this, because I would like to know what happened, like every day I think about it. I look at his pictures. I talk to him like 'What happened to you guys?' You know? Like, I don't know anything. I'm in the dark about it all. Even the people that didn't know what they did and they live with that every day, and I live with not knowing," Schlemmer said.
Despite the pain of returning to the scene, Schlemmer finds comfort in keeping their memory alive.
"I feel them here. It used to bother me, but now I feel good about coming here and them knowing that I'm trying to keep their memory alive in this park that took them away," Schlemmer said.
Schlemmer's sister, Kim Holcomb, helps her spread the word, sharing the same void in her life with David and Joseph gone.
"[David] was my nephew, we were very close," Holcomb said. "I just want to ask anybody who knows anything. Please come forward so we can have a little bit of peace. It won't bring him back, but it'll help us sleep a little better."
The park is just the first stop for Schlemmer and Holcomb on Saturday.
They also cross the street to a plaza off Brandywine Avenue and Sequoia Street to post more flyers around a liquor store, taqueria and barber shop. Schlemmer knows deep down that somebody knows something.
"I don't really know a whole lot. I just know that they came here and got shot and killed and then drove down the street after they got shot and crashed into a tree," Schlemmer said.
The Chula Vista Police Department says its investigators have no updates for the public, which is why Schlemmer continues to post flyers three years later.
Schlemmer said she and her family are paying thousands of dollars to print posters and giant banners, yet over the years, they have been taken down and trashed. She said it's still not going to stop her.
Her final stop is right on a hill on Brandywine Ave. where David and Joseph last lay before taking their last breath.
"My babies, I miss you guys so much. Hopefully, one day this will work," Schlemmer said.
Anyone with information on the double murder of David Bruely and Joseph Arias can submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers.
