MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A decades‑old Miami‑Dade murder is getting another look and modern forensic testing, bringing a grieving son closer than ever to answers about his mother’s murder.
In 1981, Amparo Arias, 29, was found shot to death inside the bathroom of her apartment off Southwest 88th Street in Miami.
Jewelry and other valuables were left untouched. Investigators found no signs of a robbery or forced entry.
“I don’t know — I just picture her opening the door, or I picture her coming down to the mailbox,” said Alex Borrego, Arias’ son, who was just 3 years old when his mother was killed.
Borrego was living in Canada with his grandmother at the time of the murder.
Miami‑Dade Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Detective Jonathan Grossman is re‑examining the case. Grossman said he does not believe it was a robber who killed Arias, but someone she may have known.
“There was no forced entry into the apartment, which led investigators to believe that whoever was there that night was possibly somebody that she knew — somebody she was comfortable allowing into her home,” Grossman said.
Investigators recovered fingerprints from inside the apartment in 1981. Those prints, along with other evidence, have been submitted for new testing.
“There were a lot of prints that were recovered. There was a lot of evidence submitted to the lab for further processing in terms of latent evidence,” Grossman said.
“We believe whoever wanted her dead was planning on killing her that night,” Grossman said.
Borrego has been working to obtain records through public records requests, hoping a small detail could help point investigators in the right direction.
“For more than 40 years I’ve wondered who did this,” he said. “I just want justice for my mom.”
Detectives are revisiting a list of names from the original case file and plan to conduct more interviews. Anyone who lived in the area of Southwest 88th Street in 1981, or who knew Arias, may have information that could help.
If you have information about the murder of Amparo Arias, contact the Miami‑Dade Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit or Miami‑Dade Crime Stoppers at 305‑471‑TIPS (8477). You can always remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward if your tip leads to an arrest and conviction.
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