About my daughter Michelle

My daughter was 19 and has always lived at home. She was full of life. She was trusting and very naive to the cruel world and had no street smarts. She was very confident in her self. 

She liked Angels and roses and collected happy meal toys for her son, Anthony. My grandson was 3 1/2 when she came up missing; he is now 11. She loved her son very much. He has lived in my house since birth.

She loved to go to the beach and to get her nails and hair done. She was a beautiful girl. She has a 25-year-old sister Chrissy and a 23-year-old brother Ronny and a 15-year-old sister Ashley. Michelle would have been 26 this year. She was my first child - she was my love child. 

Michelle left behind 4 aunts and uncles and 9 nieces and nephews. We are not a large family but a close family. We all live in the same city. My mother, a wonderful grandmother, adored her first grandchild and Michelle adored her grandmother but after a few years of Michelle’s disappearance my mom passed as well due to the stress and pain of it all.

Her favorite color was purple. She wanted to be a model; she attended Barbazon and did a few beauty pageants, which she did well in. She did well in school. She was 5’6’’ and weighed 105 lbs. 

When Michelle was 8, 9 and 10, she took Tap, Ballet, and Jazz. She danced a lot at malls and different schools with her dance class - she loved the attention. In 2nd grade she made Superstar and was on the honor roll.  

When Michelle was 14, she was a cheerleader for her brother's football team. As she got older she enjoyed jet skiing and snow skiing and like any typical girl she loved going to the mall and spending money. 

 

Christmas was her favorite time of year; we baked lots of cookies and made lots of crafts. We always did Christmas Eve at our house with lots of family and friends. We had a nice big turkey dinner and then Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus would come and bring all the kids gifts. She was my pride and joy; I loved her with all my heart. And miss her so much.

SEPT 2001
MY BEAUTIFUL CHILD

MY DAUGHTER WAS BRIGHT, BEAUTIFUL AND BOLD

THE DAY GOD SAID, CHILD IT’S TIME TO GO HOME

LET US JOURNEY OVER THE HILLS SO GREEN

GLIDE PAST THE BLUE AND WIDE OPEN SEA

THROUGH THE GATES IN THE KINGDOM WE’LL BE

HOME AT LAST, HAPPY AND FREE.

WHERE CLOUDS ARE BIG, PUFFY AND WHITE

THERE WE CAN BOUNCE AND PLAY ALL NIGHT

WHERE BIRDS FLY AROUND SINGING WITH GLEE

AS BEES HUM AROUND A HUGE HONEY TREE

THE ANGELS WILL GATHER AND UNITE INTO ONE

TO WATCH GOD ENTER WITH HIS NEW PRECIOUS ONE

MICHELLE IS HER NAME, AS HE ROSE TO HIS FEET

TO WATCH HIS NEW ANGEL THAT HAS FALLEN TO SLEEP

WINGS SHE’LL BE GIVEN TO SOAR THROUGH THE SKY

TO WATCH OVER MOM WHO'S NOW DEAD INSIDE

AND HELP HER TO SEE, SHE ‘LL NEVER LOSE ME

JUST LOOK IN HER HEART AND THERE I WILL BE

HER NEW GUARDIAN ANGEL, THAT’S WHAT GOD MADE ME

TO SHOW HER THE BEAUTY AND HELP HER TO SEE

LIFE STILL GOES ON EVEN THOUGH SHE LOST ME

WRITTEN BY ALICIA STOTLER

 

The nightmare started when my daughter went to visit her son's father. My daughter was 19 and a 29- year old man, very smooth talking, came over to their house. He talked her into going to Palm Springs with him. He said he would take her to Vegas and win enough money to buy her a car. 

She had been out there about a month and called and said she was coming home. That’s the last time I heard from her. Two weeks later I received a phone call telling me my daughter was in danger and to get her out of Palm Springs. 

I went to the police right away but because she was 19 and I couldn’t prove she was in danger, in not so many words they said sorry and have a good day. We started doing our own search, posting fliers and talking to everybody we came across. I learned bits and pieces all of which lead this man to killing her. 

Finally I couldn’t take it and had a nervous breakdown and wound up in a hospital and went into denial. Nine months later, the man my daughter left with killed his older brother. 

One night I received a phone call from a lady who introduced herself as the sister of the two brothers. She told me that one night, her younger brother had a little too much to drink and confessed to the older brother that he had killed my daughter. The older brother threatened the younger brother with going to the police so he killed him. She said there was a detective trying to get ahold of me. She told me her older brother told her what the younger did so once he was murdered her statement was considered hearsay. She said it took place sometime in Aug. or Sept 1994. She called me in May 1995. By this time my daughter had been murdered 9 months already. 

Michelle has an open case now but they have never found her body and this man has never been charged with my daughter's murder. He was charged for his brother’s murder and was sentenced to 29 years to life in prison. My outlook on this disaster is the same detective was on both cases - he had a body, witnesses and a clean conviction. After he convicted this man he received a promotion. Michelle’s case was handed down to another detective. This detective knew Michelle’s case would take a lot of time and money they had their triggerman for both murders so why bother. There is another detective on the case who is really trying to help but with all evidence gone after 7 years and still no body and most of the people are now moved and gone, it’s tough. 

Two months ago I read statements the police had, dated Sept 1995, from people that named him as Michelle's killer. I’m having a hard time trying to come to grips with this man doing such a horrible thing to my daughter, her son and the whole family, but never finding her, never looking for her. I feel the Justice system failed me so badly. This was my child; my baby and it seems like you have to be rich or famous to get any media attention or money spent on trying to solve your crime. Everybody wants to be heroes and get the glory in solving famous people's crimes. But if you’re a nobody and middle class you’re in big trouble and this not only happening to me but a lot of other people as well. Our rights have been violated we are all human and no one is better than anyone else we should all be treated equal but that is not the case.

A very heart broken mother

MY HEART HAS BEEN BROKEN

My heart has been broken, torn, ripped and in shreds

My daughter's been murdered - that’s what they’ve all said

Her body remains in the hole that they dug

So I pray every night for Justice to come.

My daughter deserves her own resting spot

Right next to her grandma is such a nice thought

Police call it hearsay; I call it absurd

How this little word is so hurtful when heard.

My life has been hell; I’m down on my knees

Somebody help me; I’m begging you please

Help me stand up and remain standing tall

And the courage and willpower it takes to move on

My children are suffering, it’s plain to see

They need their mother back so desperately.

But the beauty in life has been taken you see

When my child died alone out in Joshua Tree.

                WRITTEN BY ALICIA STOTLER