SAN ANTONIO – As she has almost every year since her 20-year-old son Isaac Orosco was murdered in 2016, Janie Esparza has released balloons at the mausoleum in San Fernando Cemetery #2.
This year was no different, but thanks to a friend of Esparza’s, an ofrenda, or altar, was created to honor his life.
“It’s part of our heritage, you know, being Hispanic,” Esparza said.
Dia de Los Muertos isn’t until later this month, Esparza said, but she wanted to honor her son’s memory with some of the items he most enjoyed on what would have been his 26th birthday.
“His chips that he liked. His Dr Pepper. He loved his Dr Pepper,” Esparza said. There was also a beer emblazoned with the New England Patriots, his favorite football team.
“He was a big fan of Tom Brady,” Esparza said.
Front and center was her son’s baby photo. Also, there was a chocolate cake with buttercream frosting since Friday was his birthday.
She said her son, who wanted to join the U.S. Marines, could have had children of his own by now.
“The what-ifs is all I have,” Esparza said.
Orosco was fatally shot in a drive-by outside the family’s apartment the evening of July 28, 2016, when someone rolled down the window of a black SUV and fired twice.
Esparza said her son was hit just once, but it severed a major artery. She said her son, who suffered internal bleeding, died an hour later.
She said she ran out onto their patio where he lay dying.
“It changed me forever,” Esparza said. “Seeing him injured the way I saw him and I couldn’t help him.”
Esparza said she believes an argument with someone over social media led up to the shooting.
Despite having had two persons of interest and now a new detective on the case, Esparza said no one has been arrested for her son’s murder.
Esparza said she’s determined to find out why.