Gone, But Never Forgotten

Victims of crimes and their families know that there's no such thing as too much attention focused on their case. Spotlighting a tragedy is often the only way to get answers.

No one knows this better than Mota DeJesus, the mother of 5-year-old murder victim Iriana DeJesus. On July 29, 2000, Iriana was raped, murdered, and discarded like trash in her neighborhood, a rough section of North Philadelphia known as "The Badlands." Police say DNA at the crime scene eventually linked Alexis Flores to the gruesome murder -- but by the time the results had come back, Flores was long gone.

Mota has taken it upon herself year after year to keep Iriana's memory alive, and to remind anyone who will listen that her family is still without justice.

So far, Mota has endured eight anniversaries of her little girl's murder without answers, and she says it gets harder every year. But Mota knows the importance of keeping her daughter's memory alive -- and keeping the spotlight on her case until Alexis Flores is found.

So every July 29, Mota hosts a memorial service in her community. It's a celebration of Iriana's short life and remarkable spirit. It's also a chance to gather as many people as possible to remind them of Iriana's tragedy. Typically, Mota has a cookout and candlelight vigil on the anniversary.

This year, AMW went back once again to The Badlands -- and brought along a big BBQ truck, and supplies for the party. The goal was to draw the biggest crowd ever to remember Iriana.

The party was a huge success. Hundreds of people gathered in the streets to celebrate the life of a little girl whose life was cut tragically short. Mota was thrilled by the turnout, and says it was the most people to gather for her daughter's day in her entire eight years of grieving.

Now, the only thing left to do is find her daughter's accused killer -- so Mota can have something to really celebrate.

Young Child's Murder Rocks Philadelphia

On the hot summer evening of July 29, 2000, police say little Iriana was out and about, riding her bike and having fun with her sister, Ayana.

While her kids played, Mota went to pick up some food she'd ordered across the street. According to police, Mota was only gone a few minutes -- but when she returned, Iriana was nowhere to be found. For days, the community rallied together, hopeful that police would soon find the precious young girl.

But when the badly decomposed body of a child was found in an empty Philadelphia apartment building on August 3, 2000, the tight-knit neighborhood's worst fears were confirmed. The body was Iriana's.

Heartache and outrage quickly set in. The innocent child had been raped, strangled, wrapped in a trash bag, and left under some heavy rolls of carpeting in an apartment building nearby.

Neighborhood protesters turned their anger toward a good Samaritan named Jorge Contreras, who cops say thought he was helping out a stranger in need -- a homeless man who called himself "Carlos."

Cops say Jorge offered Carlos shelter, clothing, and work as a handyman in his apartment building -- and Carlos gladly accepted the offer. According to Jorge, Carlos worked only three days, that Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. That day, Jorge told Carlos he was going out of town, and gave Carlos the keys to the apartment building so he could come and go as he pleased. That's the day Iriana disappeared, and when cops went to talk to Carlos, they discovered he was long gone.

Cops say a little girl from the neighborhood reported seeing Iriana walking with a Hispanic man toward the apartment building the evening she disappeared. According to the witness, they were holding hands, indicating the man she was with had somehow gained her trust -- just as Carlos had gained Jorge's trust earlier that week.

Police also found a T-shirt bearing a distinct political logo near Iriana's body -- and it had her blood on it. When police questioned Jorge about the shirt, he told them he recognized it as one of the articles of clothing he'd lent to Carlos.

Everything pointed to Carlos as the killer. Unfortunately, the last time Jorge had seen Carlos was the day Iriana went missing.

AMW and DNA Step In

Days later, AMW sent composite artist Jeanne Boylan to Philadelphia to help police create a sketch of "Carlos." They focused on facial features: a mole or bump on the side of his face, and a scar on his neck and forehead. Tips poured in from as far away as Peru.

Philadelphia police entered DNA found near Iriana's body into CODIS, a national database, hoping there'd be a match from another crime, or a suspect. But as the years passed, tips started to wane, and the case turned very cold.

DNA Match Gives Police A Name And A Suspect

That changed seven years later when the FBI got an unexpected and incredible break in the case. In a flash, they went from having no real evidence in the case to having a named suspect with forensic proof.

In March 2007, a DNA sample from a convicted criminal in Phoenix, Ariz. came back as a match to the DNA found at Iriana's crime scene. The man's name wasn't Carlos -- it was Alexis Flores -- but there was no denying that his DNA fit the bill.

According to the FBI, Flores was arrested in 2002 in Arizona for shoplifting, then arrested again in 2004. At the time, Phoenix cops were called to an apartment complex to investigate a noise complaint.

When they arrived, Flores answered the door and gave them fake identification. Police realized it was fake, and arrested him on a forgery charge -- a felony.

And in Arizona, every felon is automatically swabbed for their DNA.

Flores' sample was entered into CODIS in 2006, but the process of entering DNA is a long one, and by the time the match was made in March 2007, Flores was long gone.

Where Is Flores?

Investigators say Flores is originally from Honduras, and may still have ties there. They believe Flores and Carlos are definitely the same man. Flores is believed to be armed and very dangerous.

Now that they have a suspect, police say they're determined to locate Flores and bring him to justice for the horrific murder of little Iriana.