A Valley mother is on a mission to solve her daughter’s murder case. ABC15 has been closely following the investigation into the death of Rachel Hansen since 2022. The 19-year-old was shot in her own Gilbert apartment near San Tan Village Parkway and Ray Road. The teenager was rushed to hospital, but later died.

No arrests have been made, but her family has been working hard to increase the reward for information to $15,000.

“This is a close-up that shows her face and her expression the whole time,” Kim Hansen said as she looked at one of the new Silent Witness flyers for her daughter’s case.

Rachel’s smile and love of horses is how Kim remembers the teenager whose life was cut short.

“I, for one, want people to realize that this happened in our community,” said Kim, who met ABC15 not far from Rachel’s former apartment.

The last couple of years have come and gone with little family updates. In February, Gilbert police wrote in their report that they had exhausted all investigative leads and the case was turned over to Silent Witness. But just a few months ago, private investigator Justin Yentes began working pro bono with the Hansens.

In August, body cam video from the early morning shooting along with the 911 transcript of the call Rachel herself made was released.

Weeks later, ABC15 obtained the Gilbert Police Department’s more than 300-page police report detailing several strange things in the days leading up to the shooting. Both the report and Kim say this was all happening while Rachel was moving back into the apartment she had been subletting.

“At this point, we don’t have a solid idea of ​​who committed this crime,” Yentes said. “There are a lot of theories that have been floated around.”

Kim told ABC15 it’s heartbreaking when she meets people in Gilbert who haven’t heard about her daughter’s case.

“Getting the word out is extremely important to all of us,” Yentes said.

Through donations and grants, Rachel’s family was able to increase the amount of the Silent Witness reward from the original $2,000 to $15,000.

“We have no leads, no weapons, no witnesses, no cameras, nothing,” Kim said. “And we just need the community’s help to find answers.”

With the increase in the reward, Rachel’s mother first puts up Silent Witness flyers locally in Gilbert. She hopes they will soon be all over the Valley. She and her family said they are willing to print and deliver flyers to anyone who wants to help.

“Like I said from the beginning, somebody knows something,” Kim said.

She said they will continue to collect donations and try to increase the reward further.

“We’ve seen the community come together, especially in Gilbert, to try to solve unsolved crimes,” Yentes said. “And we’re asking them to do it again.”

Gilbert police are still calling Rachel’s case an active homicide investigation. ABC15 has continuously checked with the department over the past few weeks, asking if there are any persons of interest or updates. Police did not respond to many of our team’s questions, but insist their investigators have and will follow up on any leads.

“We’re just asking people to be brave,” Yentes said.

Yentes said tips can be sent through Silent witness or his PI website.