Decades-Old Murder Solved: Man Indicted in 2016 Killing of Laredo Mother

Nearly a decade after the murder of 33-year-old Janette Escamilla Jaramillo, the Texas Rangers and the Laredo Police Department have identified and indicted Sergio Mendez, 42, for her killing.

Jaramillo, a mother of nine, was found dead on May 18, 2016, at Seven Flags Park in Laredo. Her body was discovered by Parks and Recreation Department employees underneath a skate ramp, just blocks from her home. She had been strangled after an attempted sexual assault.

Investigators initially obtained surveillance video showing Jaramillo walking with an unidentified suspect shortly after she left work. However, the evidence was insufficient for an arrest at the time.

In 2021, Jaramillo’s case was identified as eligible for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) program, which provides funding for unsolved sexual assaults and homicides.

SAKI grant funds were used for advanced DNA testing through Bode Technologies, which led to the identification of Sergio Mendez. This identification was confirmed through standard forensic DNA testing.

Mendez was indicted by a Webb County grand jury on March 12, 2025. He is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in Edinburg for an unrelated crime.