LUBBOCK, Texas — 35 years after 13-year-old Veronica Taylor was brutally assaulted, strangled and murdered in Lubbock County, her family said on Friday they think they know who killed her and are desperate for the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office to act.
“My sister used to date a guy that we thought did it and he had told her- because she left him and got with some other guy- that she would pay for that. He was in the pen for 25 years. They went there several, several times to talk with him,” said Lorene Taylor, Veronica’s aunt.
That man, who will not be named at this time as he has not been charged in connection with the case, has a history of child molestation, the family shared, adding that Veronica was sexually assaulted prior to her untimely and vicious death.
Lorene Taylor walked KLBK News through the East Lubbock apartment complex, formerly known as Phoenix Apartments, where Veronica was last seen alive. She said her mother, Veronica’s grandmother, was the last person to speak with Veronica.
Around 10:30 p.m. on March 25, Veronica walked her baby sister Taneka from their home over to her Aunt Celestine’s house, less than a football field’s length away, where her mother and relatives were playing cards together.
When the two arrived, Veronica asked her mom Joyce if she could stay with her aunt Darlene that night, to which Joyce agreed.
Veronica excitedly walked over to her grandmother’s house to tell her she was going to spend the night with Darlene.
She then walked a few feet back to her mother’s apartment where she got her backpack for school the next day. However, she never made it to the other side of the complex where her aunt Darlene lived.
Less than eight or so hours later, her body was found several miles away, just yards from where the suspected killer once lived.
The family said they believe he knew the area well.
“This house is here for a reason. All the other houses is not here. This house is broke down, but it’s standing,” Lorene shared.
Her family also said they spoke with someone who saw the suspected killer in Phoenix Apartments on the day she was abducted.
KLBK News made multiple requests for comment over a period of several months. On August 22, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office sent KLBK News a statement identical to the one sent in March of this year:
“Although it’s been 35 years since the murder of 13-year-old Veronica Taylor, we continue to revisit the case every year seeking for new information. At this time we have no new leads. This does not mean that we stop looking it just means all available leads have been exhausted.
If anyone has any information pertaining to the case or the murder of Veronica, contact the Sheriff’s Office at 806-775-1601 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-252-8477.”
LCSO
There is a reward for up to $6,000 for anyone with information that leads to an arrest.
At this time, no one has been charged in connection with the case. Veronica’s family said they believe this case is solvable, but they need someone who is motivated to close it.
They set up a GoFundMe, hoping to raise enough money to hire a private investigator. If you’d like to help the family get justice for Veronica, you can make a donation here.
