De Mendez was 13 when he was fatally shot on December 29, 2017, in Houston, Texas. The shooting happened late in the evening near a residential area; Houston police say De was found outside in his neighborhood and suffered multiple gunshot wounds, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators initially faced challenges: there were no immediate suspects and no witnesses came forward with usable information. The case remains open and unsolved, and the family has appealed to the public for leads while the matter is periodically reviewed by Houston’s Cold Case Squad.

If anyone has information about De’s death or was in that neighborhood that night, please contact the Houston Police Department.