By admin 
GILBERT, AZ (AZFamily) — The family of an East Valley woman who was shot and killed in 2022 is renewing calls for the public’s help — and urging Gilbert police to bring in the FBI to help solve the case.
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Thursday marks four years since 19-year-old Rachel Hansen was shot and killed by someone who broke into her Gilbert apartment. The investigation remains active, but no suspect or motive has been identified publicly.
Hansen’s parents held a news conference Thursday morning alongside their private investigator, Justin Yentes, on the anniversary of her death to discuss where the investigation stands and to ask for help.
“People say, it’ll get easier in time. Maybe if you get answers and maybe if there’s justice, but it doesn’t get easier with time when there are no answers. It gets harder,” Rachel’s mother, Kim Hansen, said.
The case
Just after 2 a.m. Saturday, June 4, 2022, Hansen called 911 to report that someone had broken into her apartment and shot her. Police officers and fire crews responded to the apartment complex near Santan Village Parkway and Coronado Road, south of Ray Road, and found Hansen with severe injuries. She was rushed to a hospital but died a short time later.
The intruder was never found.
Kim Hansen said the family requested a police news conference from the beginning to inform the community and ask for help, but one was never held. “It’s hard every day,” she said.
A heavily redacted 332-page Gilbert police report shows detectives identified a man named “Marshawn” as a person of interest within weeks of Rachel’s murder.
Call for FBI involvement
Yentes and Hansen’s parents are now calling on police to bring in additional resources.
“We’re asking that they reach out to the FBI or other law enforcement that is familiar and has experience solving homicides like Rachel’s,” Kim Hansen said. “We’ve been patient for four years and it’s time to move the investigation forward.”
Rachel’s case is not the only unsolved murder in Gilbert. There are also accusations of the town falsifying crime statistics and records to portray Gilbert as having virtually no crime.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said cases can go cold even when they are being worked. “There are going to be times even when a case is being worked, that it’s going to go cold, but it doesn’t mean that there is wrongdoing or incompetence,” Mitchell said.
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Kim Hansen said she will continue fighting for answers. “I will continue to do this as long as I need to till we can answer. I will not let her case go silent,” she said.
Reward for information
Silent Witness is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Click/tap here to provide a tip.
We deeply respect the Hansen family and their ongoing efforts to seek justice for Rachel. Their pain is real, and their desire for answers is something we carry every day.
Regarding our decision not to attend the press conference, we made a careful decision not to participate so that today’s event could be centered entirely on the family, on Rachel, and on their direct appeal to anyone with information to come forward.
This is an incredibly complex case, and at this time, we are not able to share specific details due to the risk of compromising the integrity of the investigation or jeopardizing the prosecution of those responsible. What we can say is that investigators have remained dedicated to this case since day one.
We are not in a position to confirm or discuss any persons of interest or suspects at this time. Doing so before evidence and facts can support charges that will withstand the legal process would be a disservice to Rachel and to her family.
Both the Hansen and Cordova investigations are being pursued with the same commitment. These are two of the most serious cases our department has handled in recent years, and we do not take lightly the weight of what these families are carrying.
Our responsibility is to bring charges that are built on facts and evidence, charges that hold up in court, and result in real accountability. Our Gilbert community can trust that this is the department’s standard and we will not waver from it.
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