Who murdered Seleana M. Escobedo in 2017? Seleana Escobedo, a 31-year-old Hispanic/Latina woman, was discovered in the early morning hours lying in the yard of a home in west Phoenix, near 59th Avenue and Broadway Road, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Around 5:45–6:00 a.m., police and first responders were called to the scene and found her in “extremely critical condition.” She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she died shortly after arrival.
Public case summaries list her date of death as October 20, 2017, while detailed timelines compiled from news coverage and cold-case investigators describe the shooting and her death occurring on the morning of October 28, 2017, highlighting a discrepancy in how the date has been recorded in different records.
Very little has been publicly reported about Seleana’s personal life. Advocacy and cold-case sites note that there is a striking lack of media coverage about who she was beyond her name and basic demographic details, and that this silence has contributed to her story receiving far less attention than many other homicide victims in the area. What is known is that she was found in the yard of a Phoenix residence rather than inside a home or vehicle, suggesting that whatever led to the shooting unfolded or ended outdoors in a residential neighborhood. Her death has since been categorized as a murder by firearm, and her killing is listed among Phoenix’s unsolved homicides.
Investigative summaries describe how the case quickly went cold. In the immediate aftermath, police publicly stated that they had no suspects and no known motive for the shooting, a position that has not changed in the years since. There have been no announced arrests connected to her killing, and no person of interest has been publicly named in relation to the case. Law enforcement and advocacy organizations emphasize that there are no substantial leads that have been shared with the public, and that the investigation remains open but inactive, pending new information.
To encourage tips, a cash reward of $1,000 has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for her death. Phoenix police direct anyone with information to their homicide or cold-case units, and Silent Witness lines and online tip forms have been promoted as anonymous avenues for witnesses or community members who might know something but are hesitant to come forward. Despite these efforts, case overviews updated as recently as 2025 still describe Seleana’s murder as unsolved, noting that her family and friends have been left for years without answers about who shot her or why, and calling for renewed community attention to help identify the person or people behind the crime.
