ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas — The family of woman who vanished in 2019 held a vigil in her memory after a man was arrested and charged with murder in the case.
Jeffery Lee Devorah has been charged with the murder of 37-year-old Tiffany Garza. Devorah was arrested by San Antonio Police on March 15 and is in the Atascosa County jail with a bond set at $500,000.
Garza's family said her body remains missing but the arrest brings them relief nearly four years later.
On Saturday, the family hosted a vigil and balloon release at the home where an audio recording tipped off the Atascosa County Sheriff's Office on Garza's murder early on. Investigators confirmed her blood was found at the address and a pile of burned bones were discovered but efforts to extract DNA were unsuccessful.
After the case was reassigned, the new investigator put all of the pieces together and filed a complaint on Devorah, according to a social media post. Garza's family said the investigator notified them on Wednesday of the arrest in the case.
"The detective called me and I was like, 'oh my gosh'. I lost my breath, like damn," said Lily Morua, the victim's mother.
Other family members who gathered for the vigil said they were also relieved by the new developments.
"I'm glad that he is behind bars and glad that there is some relief," said Madeline Garza, the victim's spouse.
However, the family said their journey to justice is only beginning. Morua also wanted to clarify that her daughter never dated the suspect despite what was posted online by the Atascosa County Sheriff. She also believes there are more people involved her Garza's murder.
"It took three of you monsters to take her down. That's not right," said Morua.
It's unclear if the sheriff's office is pursuing other suspects. For now, the family is grateful for some answers they have waited years for.
"[Devorah] is not going to get away with it. He will pay for what he did to my daughter," her mother said.