Kyra Cordova was murdered on Labor Day 2012. Two more of the holidays have passed, and Cordova’s murder remains unsolved.
The 27-year-old was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the early-morning hours of Sept. 3, 2012, in a wooded area off the 1100 block of Adams Avenue in Frankford.
Police said in November 2012 that they had a “person of interest” in their sights, but have yet to publicly identify anyone as a suspect.
Repeated requests for information on the investigation from the Police Public Affairs department were not returned as of presstime.
Cordova’s mother, Dawn Maher, said she has been frustrated with the communication among her family and detectives.
“A lot of times when I called, they didn’t call back and that made me even more frustrated and upset,” she said. “All I want is a call, even to say they don’t know anything.”
District Attorney’s Office communications director Tasha Jamerson said the office “does not comment on any case unless charges are filed, but I can tell you that the homicide detectives in this city are some of the best detectives in the country. They work tirelessly to solve all open murder cases in Philadelphia.”
Jamerson urged anyone with any information on Cordova’s murder to call 215-686-8477 or 215-686-3334 or -3335.
A $25,000 reward for information leading to the murderer’s arrest and conviction has remained in place since the fall of 2012.
Maher said she thinks someone in the neighborhood where the murder took place has valuable information. Cordova was last seen at a Wawa about a half-mile from the scene, purchasing two drinks and two sandwiches.
“From what the police told me the last couple of times, I do think the person of interest lives somewhere in that area,” said Maher. “Somebody knows something.”
As justice remains elusive, Maher said, Cordova’s friends, and the wider LGBT community, have been an important support system. But, she noted, she has somewhat removed herself from community activity to deal with the grief process.
“They’ve been very important, very helpful. I had some of her friends come to the house and I made some new friends, which is really nice,” she said. “For the first six months afterward, I was so busy doing things and going places that, when all that stopped, that’s when it really hit me. Other than Pride and the Trans* March, which I’ll go to again this year, I haven’t been going to too much. I just never realized what a difference this would make in my life.”
This year is especially challenging, Maher noted. Cordova would have turned 30 March 13, and Maher is celebrating her 50th birthday this year.
“We always talked about having a big joint party for her 30th and my 50th. Now, I can’t have that party,” she said. “I still every once in a while will be out and see somebody who looks similar to her and be like … I know she’s not here anymore, but it’s not any easier today than it was yesterday or two years ago. It’s actually kind of worse right now.”