In the late summer of 2023, the life of Suany Lizeth Melgar Almendarez, a 41-year-old woman, was tragically cut short. On September 11, she was found deceased in an alleyway near Vallejo Street and Adriatic Place in Englewood, Colorado. The Arapahoe County Coroner's Office would later confirm that her death was a homicide. Investigators believe she was shot and killed during the night of September 10, and her body was subsequently moved to the alley.
Family members, including her
daughter Suany Figueroa and sister Leti Melgar, remember Almendarez as a wonderful, happy, and hard-working woman. She was a mother of three and a doting grandmother who was full of life and thinking about her future. Her sister described her as a confidant, and her daughter expressed the profound injustice of her mother's violent end. The family was left reeling, wondering who could have committed such a terrible act against a woman they described as caring and full of joy.
As the Englewood Police Department delved into the investigation, a crucial piece of evidence emerged in October. Detectives identified a 2010 blue Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck believed to be connected to the crime. This discovery led them to identify a primary suspect: 41-year-old Jose Bustamante. The name was a shock to the family; Bustamante was Almendarez's ex-boyfriend. According to her daughter, Almendarez had ended her relationship with Bustamante in January of that year, a decision he seemingly could not accept.
Authorities issued a $5 million cash-only warrant for Jose Bustamante's arrest on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with a body. Despite this, he remains at large, and law enforcement considers him to be dangerous. The family has pleaded with the community for any information that could lead to his capture, hoping for justice and closure. A $2,000 reward has been offered by Metro Denver Crime Stoppers for information leading to his whereabouts and arrest.
