Colorado mother seeking answers in her daughter's murder, renewed attention from law enforcement

As another holiday season approaches, all Irene Gonzales can focus on is the memory of her daughter, 21-year-old Alicia Tverberg.

Her life was cut short when she was found dead in an apartment in unincorporated Colorado's Adams County in December 2019. Gonzales says she found out the day after Christmas, after not being able to make contact with her for roughly a week.

"Her presents are wrapped and waiting for her, since 2019," said Gonzales. "Every morning I wake up, and I look at her pictures. I look at the pictures on my wall, and I have to remind myself she's not here."

Gonzales describes her daughter as incredibly intelligent, very loyal, and very caring of her.

At the time, the Adams County Sheriff's Office and an autopsy report ruled her death a homicide by an apparent gunshot wound.

"I opened the door, there were several police officers standing there. I believe that you immediately know it is not something good," said Gonzales.

Nothing has felt good for Gonzales since the beginning of this case, as she details years of what she's felt like has been little effort and action to hold someone accountable for her daughter's death.

"I spent the first, nearly three years, trying to work with the Adams County Sheriff's office, listening to the district attorney. The issue seemed to be communication between the two factions," said Gonzales.

Court documents at the time revealed multiple people were connected with the home where Tverberg's body was found. One person, Mario Raymond Sanchez, however, had his fingerprints at the scene, and phone records also show he had a 9mm handgun. This was the same weapon Tverberg was shot with.

Still, when Adams County Sheriff's deputies arrested and charged Sanchez in connection with Tverberg's death, the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office did not pursue a murder charge.

"Why they have not moved forward does not make any sense at all," said Gonzales.

When asked about why this case has remained unsolved, a spokesperson for the district attorney's office released the following statement.

"The Adams County Sheriff's Office investigated Alicia Tverberg's death in 2019, made an arrest, and brought the case to our office for review. After careful consideration, we determined the evidence did not support a murder charge. We returned the case to the Sheriff's Office for further investigation, but the evidence presented did not support the filing of a murder charge.

We recognize the deep pain this murder has caused Alicia's mother, her loved ones, and friends, who have been left without clear answers for years.  We remain committed to reviewing any new evidence that comes to light, but based on what has been presented to us, we are unable to pursue criminal charges in connection with her death."

"It's difficult to accept," Gonzales said.

Gonzales says she finds it hard to accept that police and the DA's office still do not have any answers after all this time, and she worries her daughter will be forgotten the longer she waits for answers.

"I would like to know if there is any plan at all to move forward with her case," she said. "I want the people involved in her murder to be held responsible. whoever was involved in her murder

While the DA's office and law enforcement tell CBS Colorado they remain committed to reviewing new evidence, Gonzales says she is seeking answers in a different way. She hopes she can petition for the DA's office to convene a grand jury to look at her daughter's case.

"Someone else review the evidence. if you don't want to prosecute this case, trust that there are a multitude of people that want this case prosecuted," Gonzales said.

 A spokesperson for the Adams County Sheriff's Office released the following statement in response to this case:

"The homicide of Alicia Tverberg is an absolute tragedy, and our thoughts go out to her friends and family. 

This homicide was thoroughly investigated by our patrol and detective division. The evidence and facts of the case were presented to the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office.  They declined to file charges.  We have had this case reviewed internally multiple times but, at this time, no new leads have been developed. 

We ask that anyone with information regarding this homicide please contact our dispatch center at 303-288-1535 or our detective division at 720-322-1313."