AUSTIN, Texas — Officials have discovered a link between a Bastrop County cold case and an Austin murder.
Authorities with Austin police and the Bastrop County Sheriff's Office said on Wednesday that during their investigation into the murder of Alyssa Rivera, multiple sources of DNA linked Rivera's death to the unsolved murder of Alba Aviles in 2018.
Both women appeared to be strangled and showed signs of trauma to the body when they were found.
Police said the DNA found doesn't match any possible suspects. They also said it's "rare" that no suspects would appear in their database because usually suspects who commit violent crimes tend to commit other felonies.
When asked about the possibility of a serial killer, authorities said no unsolved murders match what happened to Rivera and Aviles, which "appeared to be sexual in nature."
What happened to Aviles?
On the morning of April 14, 2018, the sheriff's office discovered a silver sedan parked along Old San Antonio Road in Bastrop County.
A person driving by saw 28-year-old Aviles inside her vehicle and alerted deputies. Authorities found her strangled to death.
During their investigation, deputies learned Aviles left Club Caribe on Felter Lane the night she was murdered. The club is just 3 miles away from where Rivera's body was discovered.
What happened to Rivera?
Rivera's body was discovered inside an abandoned home on Metcalfe Road on June 21. Initially, police said Rivera's death was "suspicious" before they determined she was killed at the house by an unknown person.
Her stepmother, Wendy Rivera, could not believe it.
"We lost her mom quite some time ago, so I was mom," Wendy Rivera said. "Who could do that to somebody like Alyssa? Alyssa was just the kindest person. She would have done anything for anybody."
Police later released surveillance footage of two people walking in the neighborhood. Authorities believe their person of interest was caught on the footage within 24 hours of Alyssa Rivera's murder.
"She didn't deserve this, didn't deserve this in a million years. Nobody does," Wendy Rivera said.
The family of the 35-year-old Alyssa Rivera set up a GoFundMe to help lay her to rest. Her death is being investigated as Austin's 27th homicide of 2024.
As authorities look for more information, Wendy Rivera promised to keep speaking up for her daughter.
"I can't believe another family has gone through this for six years," she said. "I will not let this become a cold case. I will not let her memory fade. I will not let anybody forget until whoever did this is brought to justice."
Investigators ask anyone with information to come forward by calling police at 512-974-TIPS or Capital Area Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.