Texas Rangers Seek New Tips in the 1995 Murder of El Paso Mother Celia Loya

On a February morning in 1995, Celia Loya called her colleagues to say she would be late for work. She never arrived. More than three decades later, nobody has been arrested for her murder, and investigators are asking the public to help them change that.

On October 16, 2026, the Texas Department of Public Safety featured the case through its Texas Rangers cold case program. Together with the El Paso Police Department, the Rangers are seeking new information about the killing of the 30 year old mother on El Paso's east side. This account is based on that DPS release.

A Morning That Ended in Tragedy

According to DPS, Loya worked as an office manager at American Sling. On February 7, 1995, she phoned colleagues to let them know she was running late. When she did not show up and could not be reached, her husband rushed to their home on Lake Champlain Street to check on her.

He found her on the bathroom floor. She had been severely beaten and died from extensive blood loss caused by blunt force trauma to her head and body. Investigators also found signs of an apparent struggle in the living room.

I find it hard to read those details without thinking about the family. A husband walked into his own home expecting to find his wife safe, and instead found the moment that would define the rest of his life.

Three Decades of Questions

DPS says investigators developed and followed several leads in the years after the murder. They conducted interviews and continued to examine the evidence collected from the scene, trying to determine who entered the home and killed her. No arrests have ever been made.

The authorities have not publicly named a suspect, and I will not speculate about one here. What they have done is describe exactly the kind of information they need, which is often the most useful thing a cold case release can offer.

What Investigators Want to Know

According to DPS, the El Paso Police Department and the Texas Rangers believe members of the community may hold critical information that could solve this case. They are especially interested in a few things.

Her Movements That Morning

Investigators want details about Loya's activities and whereabouts in the time leading up to her death. They particularly want to hear from anyone who saw her, or who was in the area, on the morning of February 7, 1995.

Anything That Seemed Out of Place

They are also asking for tips about anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity, or who knows anything about the circumstances surrounding her death. A detail that seemed small in 1995 could matter a great deal now.

How the Reward Works

Under the DPS program, one case from the Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program is featured every two months to generate new leads and bring attention to cases that have gone cold. For featured cases, Texas Crime Stoppers rewards are increased to as much as $6,000.

There is a catch worth knowing. The higher reward is only paid if the tip arrives before the next cold case is featured. DPS says that to be eligible for a cash reward, tips must come through one of two channels:

Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).

Submit a tip online through the Texas Crime Stoppers form at p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=650, selecting "Cold Cases Featured" and "Cold Case" in the type of crime and offense type sections.

Why a Thirty Year Old Case Can Still Be Solved

The Texas Ranger Unsolved Crimes Investigation Program was created to help Texas law enforcement agencies investigate unsolved homicides and violent serial crimes. As DPS points out, there is no statute of limitations for murder in Texas, so investigators keep pursuing these cases until they are resolved or no viable leads remain.

Time can work in a case's favor. Relationships change, loyalties fade, and people who stayed silent for years sometimes decide they are ready to talk. Someone who heard something in 1995 may now feel free to share it.

Please Share This Case

Celia Loya was 30 years old. She had a job, colleagues who expected her that morning and a husband who came home looking for her. Her family has waited more than 31 years for answers.

If you lived on El Paso's east side in 1995, worked with Loya, or remember anything about that February morning, please contact Texas Crime Stoppers at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). Share facts with investigators rather than theories online, and pass this case along to anyone who might remember. One phone call could be the one that finally brings her family the truth.