"My only plea is whomever that did this, whomever was involved, whoever knows what happened to Edwinta Hereford, turn them in now, please," pleaded Edwinta's mother, Monett Hereford.
Monett says she last saw her daughter on Mother's Day, more than a week before her daughter's body was discovered. According to authorities, the victim suffered blunt force trauma, but they don't know if that caused her death. Detectives say it will be up to the coroner to determine exactly what caused her death.
They're convinced that she was murdered, and her body was dumped on the side of the freeway with her killer still at large.
"Whomever it is, I want them brought to justice, because if they're capable of doing this to my daughter, whose daughter are they capable of doing it to next?" Monett said.
Detectives say that the day before her body was found, Hereford was seen at Snappy's Liquor Store on Imperial and Normandie in L.A. They say she appeared to be alone and was wearing a pair of blue skinny jeans or black tights and a white top with red flower print.
"We now know that in the days before she died, she was frequenting the area of Imperial and Normandie in /*South Central Los Angeles*/. We know that Edwinta has seen people, had frequented the area and has talked to people in those areas. We need to talk to those people," said /*L.A. County Sheriff's Department*/ Lt. Don Slauson.
Upon discovering Edwinta's body, detectives credit the public in helping identify her by recognizing a tattoo on the middle of her back. They're hoping for more help to catch her killer.
Monett says her daughter had recently stopped going to college in /*San Bernardino*/. Prior to her death, detectives say that Edwinta had been living between her mother's home in the /*Inland Empire*/ and at a /*Gardena*/ residence with a male friend. Monett says her daughter was trying to find her place in life.
"She had family members that loved her dearly," Monett said.
If you have any information regarding this case, you're urged to call detectives at (323)890-5500.
