AUSTIN -- Marlene Barrera said her sister Esme moved from El Paso to Austin five years ago. On Tuesday, she returned to the home at King and West 31st Street where she once lived.
“Esme moved out here on an adventure and never came back to El Paso,” Barrera said. “She loved this city, and it loved her.”
At Waterloo Records where Esme once worked, a sign flashed condolences. Barrera said her sister loved music, and removed a ukulele from her home.
She said Esme also had a special place in her heart for children with special needs. She worked as a teaching assistant at Casis Elementary School.
“She focused on kids with autism and birth defects,” Barrera said.
Yet on Sunday, the 29-year-old woman’s tremendous potential came to a stop when a call led police to her home, where they found her body.
Police received two other reports of nearby assaults on women that morning, both before and after Barrera’s murder. They believe the cases could be related.
On Monday, the Austin Police Department released a sketch of the man they believe is the killer. He is described as black, between 30 and 40, and about six foot three.
In the meantime, several women in the neighborhood say they are changing their daily habits. Some are activating their security systems and others are traveling in groups.
Kathleen Lynch told KVUE News that she has neither slept nor left her home.
“Last night I did not leave the house after dark,” she said. “I hope it doesn’t stay that way, but that’s how I feel right now.”
As for the Barrera family, they just want justice.
“There is a killer out there,” Marlene Barrera said. “He took away my sister, and he took away probably one of Austin’s best residents.”
Police continue to patrol the neighborhood. They have not yet revealed how Barrera died.
