Decades-old Houston cold case reopens after nameless victim is identified as Joann Zamora, giving family long-awaited answers

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — After more than three decades as a nameless victim, Joann Zamora has finally been identified, and HPD’s Cold Case Unit is digging in.

“The biggest obstacle was getting her identified,” Houston Police Sergeant Richard Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez leads the Cold Case Unit. With thousands of old cases, there is no shortage of work. A new development provides a new direction in Zamora’s case.

“Now that we’ve done that, the first thing we’re going to do is create a victimology,” Sgt. Rodriguez said. “We need to know who she was, what she was doing, who she was with, friends, family, associations, so we can try to rebuild her life, and as far as what she was doing that day.”

Zamora’s remains were discovered in September 1992 in an overgrown area off West Rittenhouse Road in north Houston. For 33 years, she was buried in the Harris County Cemetery, marked as “unknown.” Efforts to identify her at the time were unsuccessful, and her case remained cold.

That changed earlier this year, thanks to advancements in forensic genealogy and the help of Moxxy Forensic Investigations, a nonprofit specializing in such cases. The news came with mixed emotions, according to Joann’s daughter.

“I finally have answers that I never thought I would have, but then it leads to more questions,” Spencer Graham told ABC13 last week.

The Harris County Medical Examiner determined that Zamora was beaten to death. Her body was decomposed. No murder weapon was ever found.

Graham says she and her five siblings grew up believing their mother had abandoned them. Joann was supposed to visit for Easter in 1992, but never showed up.

“The story we got growing up was that she just left. She couldn’t be a mom anymore,” Graham said. “We weren’t living with her at the time, and her boyfriend called us and said she took off with his car, money, and camera. So that’s what we believed.”

That call turned out to be the last trace of Joann. No missing persons report was ever filed.

“That, to me, is very suspicious,” Sgt. Rodriguez said. “That leads me to believe the person who was with her didn’t want anybody to know what happened.”

Rodriguez says they will be looking at Joann’s relationships, including the boyfriend.

“Everybody is a suspect. Nobody’s a suspect,” Rodriguez noted.

Despite the passage of time, detectives say the years can sometimes be an advantage, as loyalties shift and people become more willing to talk.

Spencer Graham and her family, now adults, are holding on to hope for justice.

“We want to know exactly what happened, even if it’s hard to hear,” she said.

Anyone with information about Joann Zamora’s case is urged to contact HPD’s Cold Case Unit at 713-308-3618 or Crime Stoppers.

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