ATASCOSA COUNTY, Texas – For Tiffany Lynette Garza’s family, her loss means more than the absence of someone they love. It means losing the person who brought them together, made them laugh and made everyone feel like they belonged.
Nearly seven years after Garza was killed, her family is still grappling with the pain of losing her and the memories they will never get to make.
In September, Jeffrey Lee Devorah, 47, was sentenced to life in prison for Garza’s murder. An Atascosa County jury found Devorah guilty on Aug. 13, according to the Atascosa County District Attorney’s Office.
But for Garza’s loved ones, the sentence cannot undo what happened or give them back the woman they remember.
“You didn’t just take somebody. You took everything away. She really was the glue,” said Sam Lopez, Garza’s stepdaughter.
37-year-old Tiffany Garza (-)‘It was very earth-shattering’
Garza was 37 when she disappeared in 2019. She was last seen in March of that year and was reported missing shortly afterward.
Her family later learned that human remains had been found in a burn pit in Atascosa County. Investigators recovered 14 human bone fragments from the site, according to the DA’s office.
The investigation continued for years before Devorah was charged in 2023. His conviction and sentencing brought a major development in the case, but the years of uncertainty and the loss of Garza left a lasting impact on her family.
Natalie Garza, another of her stepdaughters, described the moment the family learned human remains had been found.
“It was very surreal. It was very earth-shattering,” she said. “I mean, sad is such a blanket statement. It’s such an understatement of how gut-punching it really felt to have that.”
For the family, the loss also meant the future moments Garza would never be there to share.
“Lots of moments stolen, memories stolen,” Natalie Garza added.
Those lost moments include the everyday experiences that families often take for granted, like conversations, celebrations and the chance to watch loved ones grow.
A life sentence, but the pain remains
After an Atascosa County jury found Devorah guilty, a judge sentenced him to life in prison on Sept. 30. According to the DA’s office, Devorah must serve 30 years before becoming eligible for parole.
Following the sentencing, Audrey Gossett Louis, the county’s 81st Judicial District Attorney, shared a statement recognizing the investigators, forensic experts, prosecutors and jurors whose work helped secure the conviction.
The office said investigators gathered evidence, including DNA evidence, and credited the coordinated efforts that led to Devorah being held accountable.
“No sentence can restore what her family has lost, but Tiffany’s life—and the truth about what happened to her—deserved every bit of that effort,” the office said.
Facebook post from 81st Judicial District Attorney, Audrey Gossett Louis following the sentencing of 47-year-old Jeffrey Devorah for the murder of 37-year-old Tiffany Garza. (-)
For Patricia Jaime, Garza’s former partner of 10 years, the sentence does not change the family’s longing for Garza or the questions that remain.
“Give us back Tiffany. Where’s her body? Where’s the rest of her bones?” Jaime said.
Jaime said she and Garza shared a son, Kendall, and remembered Garza as a devoted mother who was always checking on him, making sure he was OK and had what he needed. Jaime said Garza’s love for her son was a defining part of who she was.
Even after their romantic relationship ended, Jaime said, Garza remained family. They shared a strong bond. The sentence, she said, cannot undo the loss or restore the years and memories they should have had together.
Natalie Garza said the outcome brought accountability, but not the relief of having Tiffany Garza back.
“Yes, justice was served, but I don’t think that it makes anything feel better. It doesn’t,” she said.
Remembering Tiffany Garza beyond the tragedy
As the legal case reaches this milestone, Tiffany Garza’s family wants people to remember the woman she was, not only the circumstances surrounding her death.
They remember someone who could turn ordinary moments into memories, who loved to joke around and who made people feel welcome.
“She was funny, she was bubbly and a prankster,” Lopez said. “And she could sing, oh she could sing.”
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The family recalled growing up with playful pranks, water balloon fights, sleepovers and baking together. Garza taught them how to cook and ride bikes, and she found ways to make fun out of situations even when the family did not have much money.
Her family also described Garza as caring and attentive to the people around her. They remembered how she would go out of her way to help someone who was sick or struggling, sometimes through small gestures that showed she had been listening and thinking about what that person needed.
Her family says that kind of care left a lasting impression on the people who knew her. The loss has changed how they view time and the moments they share with the people they love. The future they imagined with Garza is gone, but the memories they made with her remain.
Seven years later, the pain of losing Tiffany has not disappeared. Neither has the love her family has for her.
They want her to be remembered for her laughter, her kindness and the way she made people feel, for the life she lived, not just the tragedy that ended it.
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