BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 This Sunday, as many across the country celebrate Mother\u2019s Day, one local family will spend it remembering the child they lost 36 years ago on May 10th, 1990. For them, the grief has never faded, and the search for justice has never stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica is loved, we have not forgotten her. I have gone on with my life by the grace of God,\u201d Nellie Mesa, Jessica’s mother, said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a case that has stayed with Bakersfield for nearly four decades. On May 10th, 1990, 4-year-old Jessica Martinez was abducted while playing outside her apartment. 11 days later, her body was found in a cotton field. Now in 2026, her family is still searching for answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cJessica\u2026 she had just turned 4, my only daughter. She loved me, loved her brothers dearly. I only had her for 4 years, but I still remember her\u2026 I can still hear her little voice,\u201d Nellie Mesa said. <\/p>\n
Jessica disappeared while playing outside her family\u2019s apartment complex in Bakersfield. Her disappearance sparked a massive search effort that gained national attention. Now, 36 years later, her killer has never been found. \u201cHow is it that somebody can just take a child, do what they did, kill her, dump her out in a field… and get away with it? Just like that\u2026 who in the heck can do that and get away with it?\u201d Nellie Mesa said. <\/p>\n
Throughout the years, one name has continued to come up in the investigation, Christopher Lightsey. Lightsey lived in the same apartment complex as Jessica when she disappeared in 1990, and investigators have called him a person of interest in the case. Detectives say DNA found on Jessica\u2019s shoes did not match Lightsey, but they have never fully ruled him out.<\/p>\n
Lightsey is currently on death row for a separate 1993 murder case in Kern County, where he was convicted of killing a 76-year-old man.<\/p>\n
Through the years, Nellie, Jessica\u2019s mother, and her family have continued to push for answers. Taking part in victim’s rights events and keeping Jessica\u2019s memory alive. With Mother\u2019s Day coming up, Nellie says the fight for justice never stops. \u201cI am her mother\u2026 I am her voice. I get very nervous doing interviews like this\u2026 but if I don\u2019t speak, how are we going to get justice for Jessica? That\u2019s my job. And if I can\u2019t speak out, then I\u2019m not doing my job as a mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
While decades have passed since Jessica\u2019s death, her family says they still believe someone out there knows what happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI try and live a good life, I try and live a happy life\u2026 but I am sad. You just never get over the loss of a child,\u201d Nellie Mesa said.<\/p>\n
Bakersfield Police say Jessica Martinez\u2019s case is still open and after 36 years, they\u2019re urging anyone with even the smallest piece of information to come forward.<\/p>\n
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