Investigators looking into the murder of 17-year-old Norma Lopez want to speak with a man who was a one-time employee for of the Moreno Valley Unified School District, investigators told NBCLA late Wednesday.
Riverside County sheriff's detectives served a search warrant Tuesday night and towed a green sport utility vehicle in connection with the investigation. A witness told investigators at the time of Norma's murder that a green SUV was spotted driving away from the body.
Attorney Miles Clark said several items were removed from Lazarus Tasby's room in the house. The Press-Enterprise reported late Wednesday night Tasby, age 25, was "a former instructional assistant at the school the Moreno Valley teen attended."
No arrests have been made in connection with the homicide.
"Due to the fact that a judge signed off on it doesn not mean that anyone in this residence is responsible for a crime," Clark said.
Norma Lopez's 18-year-old sister told the PE that nobody in her family knows the owners of the home that was searched.
The owner of the home where the SUV was parked was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a peace officer --a misdemeanor offense -- at about 11 a.m. Tuesday, just before the SUV was taken away, according to sheriff's officials. He was released from the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside around 4 p.m. Tuesday after posting $2,500 bail.
The house was described as Tasby's family home in an online report by the The Press-Enterpirse.
"There have not been any arrests for the murder,'' sheriff's Sgt. Joe Borja stressed.
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The homeowners have lived at the two-story residence at 26524 Pegasus Way since early 2006, according to real estate records posted online.
The home is near Bay Avenue and Morrison Street, about three blocks from the field where authorities believe Norma was kidnapped July 15 while walking home from Valley View High School.
The only witness account was that a green SUV was seen racing away from the scene shortly after 10 a.m. that day, about the time the girl would have been walking home from school. She was using a footpath that provided a shortcut to a friend's house.
Sheriff's investigators found the teen's belongings in the field and said there were signs of a struggle. Her body was discovered five days later in a remote field off Theodore Avenue, about 2 1/2 miles to the east.
For the past month, detectives have not released any details about the case, including suspect information or a cause of death. A check of nearly every sex offender in the area ruled out any suspects, detectives have said.
The case drew national attention and prompted an outpouring of community support for the Lopez family, as well as a renewed emphasis on children's safety.
The city of Moreno Valley is offering a $35,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in Norma's death. There have been other rewards added and the total hovers around $90,000.
Anyone with information was urged to call a 24-hour hot line, 1-877-242-4345, or send an e-mail to findnormaskiller@riversidesheriff.org.
