PHOENIX — Two years after a 26-year-old Phoenix mother was found dead, her killing remains unsolved. ABC15 has followed Victoria Hahlen’s case since the beginning, with her family and friends speaking out exclusively with us about their search for justice.
Now Hahlen’s mother is opening up again, pressing for answers about the investigation, and a medical examiner’s report that both the family and ABC15 have been working to obtain for more than a year.
“I look at that face, and I'm thinking, what a waste. She's so beautiful, and had so much life in her,” Shelly Hahlen said, looking at a photo of her late daughter, Victoria.
Shelly can still see the life her daughter should have had. Victoria was 26; a daughter, a friend, and a mom.
Victoria’s son Gio is now about to turn six.
“She loved him, and she was a good mom. She adored him, and he loved his mom,” Shelly said.
“It's very sad, and it's not right. He didn't deserve it,” Shelly said about the little boy losing his mother. “When the time is right, we're going tell him. He deserves to know what happened to his mom, who his mom was. But I want answers first.”
Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies recovered Victoria’s body on Sept. 10, 2024, off of Carefree Highway in a remote part of Cave Creek. The Office of the Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide.
Two years later: no arrests, and no suspect publicly named.
“I'm afraid that it might be even longer, and it shouldn't be. I need answers now,” Shelly said. “My daughter needs the justice she deserves.”
MCSO declined an interview, saying the investigation remains open and active, but there are no updates at this time.
“I just, I stopped calling because I'm getting tired of, ‘I can't tell you this, I don't know,’ or whatnot,” Shelly said. “I’m afraid I'm going to lose my mind and I've been coming close, because it's just driving me nuts…tell me something.”
There is more information that both the Hahlen family and ABC15 have been trying to get. For more than a year, ABC15 has repeatedly requested Victoria’s medical examiner’s report. The family has done the same, an email receipt showing they made their first request in December of 2024.
The report still has not been released.
When ABC15 asked the Office of the Medical Examiner about the delay, a Maricopa County spokesperson responded: “The County Attorney’s Office indicated…this case remains under legal review and cannot be released.”
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When we asked for an explanation from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, they told ABC15 that releasing sensitive details could compromise leads or jeopardize the investigation.
Here is the full statement from MCAO:
“We understand the public and media often have an interest in information contained in reports related to active investigations. At the same time, releasing sensitive information prematurely can jeopardize investigations, compromise potential leads, or otherwise prevent a case from reaching a successful resolution.
“One of our priorities as a prosecuting agency is to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations and preserve information that may help law enforcement identify a suspect, develop leads, and ultimately result in an arrest. At times, that means certain details cannot be released in order to ensure investigators can continue their work effectively.
“As far as the investigation goes, we do not have a submittal in this case. Please reach out to MCSO for any questions about the status of their investigation.”
For the people who loved Victoria, two years without her have been filled with grief.
“I always still consider her my best friend. So when you have that with someone, you don't really think that they're going to be gone,” Natalie Bernal, Victoria's friend told ABC15 in September of 2024, shortly after her death.
Victoria left behind her parents, five siblings, and her young son.
“This is her and her son on the first Christmas,” Danielle Hahlen, Victoria’s younger sister, said in 2025, sharing a photo of Victoria and Gio. “When the detectives came to the door, like I could feel it in my stomach, like something's wrong.”
Today, Shelly clings to small reminders of her daughter.
“This is all I have left of my daughter. Her ashes are in here,” Shelly said, holding a necklace charm containing the ashes. “She loves sunflowers and the color yellow, so I wanted a necklace to keep her with me at all times. I still get it out once in a while, and I talk to it and stuff, and sounds crazy, but that's all I have of her.”
Eventually she plans to give the token to Gio, the little boy who reminds her so much of Victoria.
“I want him to know that, you know, even though she's not here physically, she's here, right here, and that he can always talk to her or hold her,” Shelly said. “It'll be my honor to pass it down to him.”
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