PHOENIX — A Phoenix family continues to mourn the loss of an 18-year-old woman as the anniversary of her death approaches this weekend. Brittany Guitterez-Bugarin was shot in an early morning road rage incident on August 15, 2023.
At her family’s Phoenix restaurant, there are signs of the Guitterez-Bugarin everywhere. Her family is keeping her close to heart, with tokens nearby, as they prepare to pay a special tribute to their lost daughter and sister at the grand opening of their rebranded restaurant Saturday, on the anniversary of her death.
Guitterez-Bugarin’s family says she was riding in the car with her boyfriend on the I-10 near 83rd Avenue when the shooting happened.
“It's so hard thinking that three years ago this day, before work I went to her room and I told her, ‘Good morning, mi amor, I'm going to work.’ And that was the last,” Esmerelda Bugarin, Guitterez-Bugarin’s mother, said.
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There are still no answers in her case.
“She was out and about, you know, having the time of her life. Knowing that that's how she was, and knowing that it just stopped, it's been really hard,” Alexa Torres, Guitterez-Bugarin’s sister, said.
Continuing on with their lives, Bugarin and Torres say they’re plagued by so many questions.
“I know somebody out there knows something,” Bugarin said.
While there is still a Silent Witness reward in the case, which describes the suspect as a male in a silver or gray Chrysler with black rims, DPS has not announced any arrests.
“I think losing somebody that close in kind of like a horrific way just shapes your life to be totally different forever,” Torres said. “So it would just mean she would get the justice she deserves.”
On the anniversary of her death, the family turns their attention to honoring Brittany. Her mother, who’s franchised a taco shop in central Phoenix, is now turning that spot into her own restaurant, Baja Taco Mami.
“I know she would have wanted my mom to kind of expand and grow on her own,” Torres said. “She would be happy.”
Bugarin says it is difficult to experience the milestone without her youngest daughter by her side.
“It's hard, but at the same time, I'm trying my best, and I want to honor her,” Bugarin said.
On Saturday morning, the family was surrounded by love and support from so many community members at Baja Taco Mami’s grand opening.
"Seeing it all come together is really amazing,” Torres said. “Overwhelming with a lot of feelings. The date is a very hard day for for us as a family. So it feels good to know that on a on a hard day, that there's people to come out and support. I think they're not just supporting the food. I think they're supporting my mom and her story and her journey."
As Bugarin starts a new chapter, she holds on to memories of her daughter, saying Brittany never be forgotten.
“I know she's with me all the times, because I feel her presence,” Bugarin said.
Baja Taco Mami is located at Thomas Road and 3rd Avenue.
Watch in the player below for how the community gathered for the family.
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