The FBI is offering up to $30,000 for answers in Amberly Mendoza’s Yuma killing

For years, the reward in Amberly Mendoza’s killing was $1,000. In August, the FBI announced a much larger offer. Its case page still lists up to $30,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Amberly was 10 when she was found dead in her Yuma home on March 9, 1996. The FBI says investigators have not identified her killer.

What investigators have made public

The FBI and Yuma Police Department say officers were called to a home in Yuma that morning and found Amberly in her bedroom. The FBI’s public notice says there were no signs of forced entry, but the screen on a first-floor bedroom window had been removed. It describes the case as an unsolved sexual assault and murder.

Those details are painful enough. There is no value in dressing them up or guessing about evidence the investigators have not released. The public record remains limited, and the case is still open.

How to share information

The FBI asks anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. Yuma Police also lists its cold-case contact information online. The reward is up to $30,000 and depends on information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Amberly would be about 40 now. The FBI’s renewed request is a reminder that something that seemed small at the time may still matter to investigators.