'Hasn't been the same since': Mother of teenage Calgary murder victim breaks silence

Sarah Alexis Jorquera is shown in an undated photo. (Supplied)

The mother of a Calgary murder victim is speaking out, urging anyone with information about her teenage daughter's death to come forward.

Sarah Alexis Jorquera, 15, was shot in an alley in the 300 block of Martindale Drive N.E. at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 28.

She was in the front passenger seat of a vehicle at the time. The driver wasn't injured.

Police say while the shooting was targeted, it was a tragic case of mistaken identity.

"We believe that she was in that vehicle, not the target, but wrong place, wrong time… perhaps with the wrong people when this occurred, and the unfortunate victim of the murder," said Staff Sgt. Sean Gregson from the Calgary Police Service's homicide unit.

Andrea Heon, Jorquera's mother, said in a statement to CTV News that her house "hasn't been the same since."

"She was the spice to our lives and you always knew when she was home.

"We are slowly moving though life without her, but the whole dynamic of our family is different."

Heon describes Jorquera as being an amazing person with a huge heart who loved music and animals.

"(She) cared deeply for her friends and family," Heon said. "With the lack of information since her death, I am unsure if we will ever see justice for her."

Gregson says the case is still being investigated.

"That file is still very active. Our investigators are working on information. It's a complicated one. It occurred in a remote location at night, so these ones do pose more complications and are harder, but that doesn't mean that we're going to stop.

"If we have evidence to continue following up on, we're going to continue doing that, and in this case we are still working on that investigation."

As of Thursday, nine of Calgary's 21 homicides from 2023 remain unsolved, including Jorquera's death.

"We have our teams working on these and at any given time new evidence, new techniques, new witnesses come forward and we can solve files," Gregson said.

"Any information that people can provide police, we want to hear about it. You might not think it will help, but it does help. When people see something or hear something that's out of place, or maybe they even heard it through somebody else, we'll track it down to the source, but providing that information to Crime Stoppers – or if they feel comfortable talking to investigators – reach out and speak with people.

"Ultimately, we want to bring closure for the family."

Anyone with information about the death, including CCTV or dashcam footage, is asked to contact police by calling 403-266-1234.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers.