GILBERT, Ariz. — On Kim Hansen's dining room table is a stack of fliers. She's hopeful they will help bring her family some much needed justice in her daughter's murder.
"She would want us too," Hansen said. "She was a fighter. She would probably say something like, 'Go mom! You can do this!'"
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Familia del Valle sigue esperando respuestas a dos años del asesinato de su hija
For nearly 2 and a half years, Hansen has waited for any bit of information or tip that'll help solve Rachel's death. The investigation is currently active, but with few leads, her mother, Kim, says the case is cold.
"We're not anywhere closer to getting answers to Rachel's case," she said. "For what reason we don't know, we don't know a motive, we don't know a weapon, there are no cameras, no witnesses. We can't imagine how or why this tragedy happened."
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Rachel Hansen was just 19 years old when she was shot and killed inside her Gilbert apartment in June 2022. Rachel had called 911 and reported a stranger entered her apartment near San Tan Village Parkway and Ray Road. She was taken to a hospital where she died.
"She was a beautiful young woman just beginning her life and suddenly and tragically it was taken from her," Hansen said.
Hansen said her family is suffering through immense heartache not knowing why Rachel's life was cut short.
"I feel like, as the grieving parents we shouldn't be the ones hitting roadblocks so to speak," Hansen said. "But I feel like that's what we've been told by those supposed to be investigating. That every lead has been exhausted and there's nothing further to investigate until they get more information."
It's why they're now taking action. Not only is the family now working with a private investigator, they've also printed a stack of fliers that'll be placed in businesses, restaurants, anywhere in Gilbert, and beyond that'll help them find answers.
"We just need to raise awareness, especially in our own community of Gilbert because there's still people who don't know, and we still believe somewhere someone knows something so we need to do what we can," Hansen said. "We're taking them around to businesses and asking them if they will put them in a public place where people can see them or even in break rooms where employees can see them."
12News asked Gilbert police for an interview but hasn't heard back yet. In an interview back in April, the department wasn't forthcoming with information about the case.
"You know, there's a lot of things with this case I can't talk about. The last thing I would want to do is jeopardize the case at all," said Assistant Chief Jim Bisceglie. "I could tell you that there's other people out there that know what happened to Rachel, and we need those people to come forward."
Gilbert police have also refused and ignored 12News' multiple requests for public records, including the 911 Call, police reports and body camera footage. With so many questions left unanswered, Hansen hopes each flier will not just keep Rachel's name top of mind, but also keep their family's dream of finding justice alive.
"I feel like we're kind of at a standstill and that's why as grieving parents we're going to do what we can to try and raise awareness," Kim said. "I don't know how far this will go but we have to do something instead of just sit and wait. One of my favorite sayings is: 'As Long As We're Breathing There's Hope,' so there's hope."
There currently is a $7,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the case. If you have any information you can call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
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