Killed by gun August 13, 2007, at age 57

My name is Melinda Contreras. My only sister was Maria Elena Hicks. She was murdered by a tagger in August of 2007. Never in my wildest nightmares would I have imagined this horrific crime happening to my sister. She was a hard worker who worked most of her life in the medical field. She was a medical records secretary who went above and beyond for patients in her unit. She was kind, loving, and extremely creative.

Her children were her life. Her eight grandchildren held her heart.

My mother passed 6 months after my sister was murdered; it was just too much for her.

Melinda N. Contreras