Justice for Destiny McClain: The Unsolved Taco Truck Shooting Outside a Phoenix Nightclub
After a night out with friends in July of 2021, 23-year-old Destiny McClain was waiting for food at a taco truck outside a busy nightclub in Phoenix, Arizona, when tragedy struck. She was shot and killed, leaving behind a heartbroken family and many questions about whether this was a random act of violence or if she had been targeted.
The Victim: We introduce you to Destiny Chaise McClain. From the moment she was born, Destiny made a statement. She was bright, vibrant, and deeply loved, and she had her entire future ahead of her when her life was violently cut short.
The Crime: We detail the chaotic scene outside the nightclub. A vehicle drove by and shots rang out, striking Destiny. The lack of an immediate motive and the question of whether she was the intended victim or simply a bystander has stalled the investigation for years.
The Unanswered Questions: Who was in the car? Were they looking for a specific person, or was this a random, senseless act? We explore the possibility that there were at least two people in that car, meaning all it takes is one person—or one broken friendship—for the truth to finally come out.
The Call for Justice: We discuss the tireless efforts of her mother, Brenda, who has channeled her grief into advocacy, working to bring awareness not only to Destiny's case but to others who have been victims of violence.
Join us as we share Destiny's story and the vital information needed to solve this cold case. Her family deserves answers, and the person responsible for this shooting needs to be held accountable.
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Ways to help:
Anyone with information is asked to contact Phoenix police at 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (948-6377) or 480-TESTIGO (837-8446) for Spanish. There is a $2,000 reward available.
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TRANSCRIPT:
[00:00:00] After a night out with friends in July of 20 21, 20 3-year-old Destiny McClain was shot as she waited for food at a taco truck outside of a nightclub in Phoenix, Arizona. Her death left many questions about whether she was targeted or killed in a random act of violence.
Hey guys, and welcome to the Moms and Mysteries podcast. A True Crime Podcast featuring myself, Mandy, and my dear friend Melissa. Hi Melissa. Hi Mandy. How are you? I am doing great. How are you? I'm doing great as well. We actually already had weather chat before this. We did. So all you guys need to know is it's gonna be really pretty here for a few.
For a week. It's gonna be nice and cool and I'm excited and lots of stuff going on with the show. Good things, exciting things. Again, Mandy's watching more television than ever, than ever. We are currently, we're currently watching the Hulu documentary Uhand. It's four [00:01:00] episodes and we are watching it over on our Patreon, but you can also find it on Apple podcast subscriptions and now Spotify, which is so exciting.
Yeah, so basically anywhere you wanna listen to it, you can. If you want more interactive stuff, Patreon's, great. But if you wanna just listen to our bonus episodes, apple Podcasts and Spotify are available just for you. I love that. Me too. Right from the moment she was born, destiny chaise, McClain was someone who really made a statement.
She was born on November 28th, 1997, which was the day after Thanksgiving of that year, and it was almost as if she knew that she herself would be a reason to be grateful. I love that. Me Too. Destiny was born in Phoenix to Brenda and Corey McClain and was the third of four sisters. We were actually lucky enough to be able to work with Brenda to create this episode.
Destiny was someone who was bold, she was hilarious, and she was really full of life. But one of her very best qualities was [00:02:00] that she was deeply loyal to those she loved, especially her family. Her mom and her sisters were her entire world, even though she really struggled at first when her younger sister Faith was born because she didn't wanna lose her spot as being the baby of the family.
They did eventually become just as close as Destiny was with her older sisters who were named Brianna, in essence. Destiny did everything on her own terms right from the very beginning. Her mom, Brenda said that while her two oldest daughters had started walking when they were around eight or nine months old, destiny really just took her time with it.
And there was one day that they were actually at a friend's house and Destiny was watching as another baby stood up and started walking and she got up and took a step two, but then she sat back down. She was like, no, I'm not ready for this. And she didn't walk, actually start walking until she was over a year old.
But no matter how old she got, destiny never outgrew being a mommy's girl. Brenda [00:03:00] shared that Destiny would come give her a kiss goodnight every night, whether Brenda was awake or not, and it was their ritual to make sure they always said goodnight and to say, I love you at the end of the day. Destiny had this way of making even the smallest moment into something really memorable.
And one of the stories her mom shared was how Destiny loved talking to her through the Ring Doorbell camera. She would just make silly faces at it. She would crack jokes through it, and that's just how Destiny was everyday. Life was a comedy show to her. Her sister Brianna said that being around Destiny meant you were in for nonstop laughter.
She really just wasn't afraid to be herself and to let loose and have a really silly and good time. Destiny loved to listen to this song, big Papa by Notorious BIG, and she would belt it out loudly and proudly despite being off key, but had really no shame about it. Her family said they have tons of videos to show that she would behave like this and just be really [00:04:00] silly and carefree all the time, which she sounds honestly like such a fun person.
The most fun, and we'll have this in our show notes, but there is a link to a documentary that her mom participated in and they showed several of the videos and it was just incredible. And you could just see this light about her. She just was having so much fun, was so goofy and. She definitely seemed like somebody you'd wanna know.
Growing up, destiny endured bullying for being bigger than the other kids her age. Brenda feared that Destiny would really suffer because her heart was so kind and pure. But in time, destiny learned to not only love herself, but to make sure others felt safe and loved too. But. If someone was getting picked on, destiny would be the first one to stand up for them, and she carried her carefree, spirit, protected nature, and kindness well into adulthood, and continued to be someone who spoke up for others.
It was her mission in life to bring light and joy to those she encountered, and she had a really natural gift for making people feel [00:05:00] special and seen. She was able to see the beauty in everyone and believe that all people were created perfectly, and she would frequently stop people in public just to tell them they had a beautiful smile or give them a compliment about something else.
I don't know about you, but like if you've ever randomly had somebody compliment you, just like for No. Reason, just like it's the best feeling in the world. It'll make your whole day. Yeah. I love that she does that and I try to make sure I'm like aware and if I think something like that to say it because it really can change somebody's whole day.
Destiny's family thought of her as being the epitome of sunshine and rainbows, and not only did she have a heart of gold. But she was so goofy and funny and just made it so fun to be around her. And Destiny's family, as Mandy was saying, has countless videos of these silly moments with her. Even at 23 years old, she maintained her childlike sense of fun and insisted on having a tent that fit over her bed, which she decorated with dinosaur string lights and [00:06:00] transformed into her own little world where she would curl up with her Beloved Puppies, Bailey and Bentley, and watch cartoons.
I still love. Doing stuff like that. To this day, I now can recruit my kids to, you know, join in the fun with me on stuff like that. But I love that, that she had like, wanted to do stuff like that. I feel like I still appreciate and love doing like a cozy tent with little twinkly lights. Oh yeah. And stuff like that.
I just love that. It's great. And one of Brenda's favorite moments with her daughter was from their last New Year's Eve together, destiny had actually set off a firework. The wrong way. She didn't have the base on it, which caused it to go shooting off in every direction and sent the family ducking for cover.
Then when the whole ordeal was over, destiny jokingly said, they just saw me almost kill all of us. Even though Destiny had this really silly and fun side to her, she was deeply passionate about helping others. In her journal, which she called the [00:07:00] Burn Book, she outlined moments that had really shaped her life, including a time that she witnessed her sister buying groceries for an unhoused person.
And this simple act of kindness left a lasting impression on destiny, and she dreamed of making a difference for others, especially for children. Destiny had three younger siblings from her father and stepmother who had spent some time in foster care, and it was Destiny's ultimate goal to build a life where she would be able to adopt them and give them everything they deserved.
Destiny did everything she could to take care of her younger siblings, including bringing them to her home where they could relax and curl up and watch cartoons. The kids really loved her and just thought of her as a safe space. Just really like everyone else in Destiny's Life did. When Destiny graduated high school, it was more than just an ordinary milestone.
She really had struggled with learning disability and school just wasn't something that always came super easy to [00:08:00] her, but she was able to catch up and by her junior and senior year of high school, not only was she passing, but she was actually excelling in her classes. Destiny made the honor roll, which she said was shocking to her.
Um, it was so shocking in fact that when she saw her name on the list of honor roll students, she went down to the school's office just to make sure there was no mistake and there wasn't. She actually had really earned it, and she hung her certificate proudly on her bedroom wall to remind herself that she was capable of anything.
By 2021, destiny was living at home with her mom, her stepdad, and her younger sister. Faith. Her older sisters, Breonna, in essence, had moved out by this time, but all the girls were still just as close as ever. They would actually even sit on FaceTime for hours, really not even talking or anything, just kind of existing together in their own way.
At this time, destiny and Faith both worked at Amazon and they worked together, which made their shifts a lot more bearable. They would do fun [00:09:00] things like building box forts and then send funny videos to their mom and sisters. And again, this is just another example of how Destiny always made everything fun, even going to work.
Destiny extended her kindness to everyone around her and went out of her way to make her coworkers feel special and valued. There was one employee that wasn't particularly popular with everyone, and when Thanksgiving rolled around, no one thought to include her. Destiny went out of her way to make a plate of food and take it to the woman so she wouldn't feel left out.
The coworker was touched and it really meant the world to her. Also went above and beyond at work and frequently put in overtime, not for herself, but so she could give her father and stepmother money to take care of the kids. When it came to her own future, she was taking her time figuring it out.
Destiny was naturally creative with a wide range of talents from sewing and cooking to hair and makeup. Brenda encouraged Destiny to explore fashion and lean into her sewing ability. [00:10:00] She bought her a sewing machine, which became a huge source of happiness for destiny. But Destiny had other dreams too.
She loved to help others feel beautiful, and she decided to lean more towards cosmetology so that she could spend her time helping people see themselves the way she saw them perfect just as they were. Despite her fun, loving, and bubbly personality, destiny was a true homebody at heart. Her mom joked that Destiny was an 80-year-old living in a 23 year old's body.
She loved being at home, wearing fun pajamas, cuddling her stuffed animals, and just hanging out with her dog, Capone. During the first year of the pandemic, destiny hardly left her house and would only attend family functions, but that never bothered her because she was perfectly content as long as she had her family laughter and her little comforts in life.
On the night of July 17th, 2021, destiny did something that she really rarely did, and she went out for a night of fun. [00:11:00] This was actually only the second time since the pandemic began that she had left home for a night out on the town. She had plans to meet with a friend who was going through a really tough time with a difficult divorce and Destiny just wanted to show her support.
The two friends had been planning this night out for months, and Destiny was really excited to be there for someone that she cared about. She took an Uber to meet up with her friends, and they ended up at Caramba Nightclub in Phoenix. At around 1:30 AM Destiny's Mom got a phone call from Destiny, but it was actually just a accidental butt dial, and Brenda had missed the call, but realized later that there was a voicemail left and there was just a lot of background noise going on.
You know, you could tell it was an accidental call. Brenda told us that to this day, she has never deleted that message. An hour later at 2:30 AM Brenda noticed that she had another missed call from Destiny, and this time she called back right away and Destiny answered and they talked for a little while.[00:12:00]
Destiny was happy and said she was having a great time, and Brenda was relieved to hear that everything was okay. And they said, I love you before hanging up the phone. By 3:00 AM the night was starting to wind down and Destiny and her friends had left Caramba Nightclub. There was a taco truck in the parking lot, and Destiny and her friend Juan decided to stay and grab a late night quesadilla before heading home, but before they could enjoy their food.
Everything changed. Suddenly gunfire erupted as a shooter, opened fire into a crowd of people near Destiny and Juan. Witnesses heard at least five shots ring out before panic spread and people were screaming, running and ducking for cover. When the chaos subsided, it was realized that destiny had been shot in the chest bystanders, including friends, strangers, and really anyone nearby rushed over and did everything they could to try and save destiny.
They applied pressure to the wound and performed CPR in a [00:13:00] desperate attempt to keep her alive until the paramedics got there. Destiny was rushed to the nearest hospital, but sadly it was too late and she was pronounced dead. And we have so much more to get into after a quick break to hear a word from this week's sponsors.
So before the break, we were discussing the Life of Destiny McLean, leading up to this night where she and some of her friends had gone out to a nightclub. They were ending their night at the taco truck that was right outside when. All of a sudden, shots are fired into this crowd and destiny is ultimately hit in the chest where she soon died.
Back at the scene, investigators tried to piece together what actually happened. Witnesses said they saw a car speeding away going east on McDowell Road. Based on the evidence, police believed the shots were fired from inside a moving vehicle. But the crucial question was, did the shooter target destiny specifically, or was she just an innocent bystander in an act of random violence?
Unfortunately, there was no viable description of [00:14:00] the suspect. When Brenda woke up that morning, she expected Destiny to be home, but she wasn't. At first, there wasn't an immediate alarm because Destiny was someone who worked nights and was used to staying up late. So her mom thought that maybe she had gone out for breakfast with her friends, or she had lost track of time.
But Destiny's sister Essence had a bad feeling about Destiny's absence. She and Destiny had an understanding that whenever Destiny took an Uber, she would send Essence her location so she could make sure Destiny got home safely. And Essence said that message never came. Essence asked Brenda if she had heard from Destiny at all, and Brenda reassured her that she had spoken to Destiny on the phone a few hours earlier at 2:30 AM the call that we mentioned earlier, and that everything was fine, but something still felt off.
Brenda checked Destiny's phone location and saw that it was still at the taco place. She started texting and calling Destiny, but there was no response [00:15:00] as the time passed with no word back. Brenda's uneasy feeling, grew into panic. She called her other daughter and asked about destiny, but no one had heard from her.
Brenda eventually got tired of just waiting around, so she told her other daughters that she was going to look for Destiny herself. Two of Destiny's sisters tagged along with Brenda and the oldest sister was planning on meeting them there. Brenda followed her GPS to the location on Destiny's phone, which led them to the taco truck right outside the nightclub.
Brenda said that her anxiety increased with each passing street on their drive, and she just started to feel this overwhelming sense of dread before they actually arrived at the location. As they began to pull up to the parking lot, Brenda's worst fears began to take shape. She could see caution tape and police cars and what clearly looked like some kind of a crime scene.
Brenda tried to push past the barricade, but she was stopped by the police who told her that she wasn't allowed to be there. But Brenda refused to leave and explained to the [00:16:00] officers that she had tracked her daughter's phone to that spot, and she knew something was wrong. Officers had Brenda wait in her car while they figured everything out, but after several minutes had dragged by, Brenda decided to pull up a photo of Destiny on her phone and show it to the officer on scene to ask if it was Destiny who had been hurt.
The officer hesitated, but then said it's a homicide. The victim is a woman. Brenda said when she heard those words, she just had a gut feeling that it was destiny. Eventually, the police confirmed the worst. Brenda said when she heard the news, it was like she had an out of body experience and she just could not comprehend that destiny had been shot and killed at 3:23 AM while ordering food from a taco truck.
Brenda later learned that strangers had tried to save Destiny's life. They held her, they applied pressure to her wound, and they did everything they could. And Brenda said this was slightly comforting to her, you know, to [00:17:00] know that destiny was surrounded by people in her final moments, but it didn't erase the pain of knowing what Destiny had gone through.
In the weeks that followed, Brenda spent her time gathering and preserving every trace of destiny she could find. She spent two months combing through her ring doorbell footage. She saved 109 videos of destiny coming and going from work in some of the cliffs. Destiny can only be heard in the background, but Brenda cherishes them and says.
That's all she has Left police held a press conference on July 27th where they released surveillance footage of the vehicle suspected to be involved in Destiny's murder. It was a newer, dark colored sedan, but the make and model was uncertain. They released the images and asked the public to call if they recognize the vehicle.
They also announced that they did not believe and had no reason to believe that destiny was targeted and they were just trying to figure out why she was shot. They asked witnesses who may have been in the area at that time of the shooting to come [00:18:00] forward, as they may have witnessed an important detail.
Brenda and Brianna spoke out at the conference. Brenda talked about her daughter's big heart and her loving personality. She said Destiny would light up any room with her big smile and her infectious laugh. She talked about what it had been like for the family to not have answers, and how hard it is to wake up every day and still not understand why Destiny was gone.
Brenda pleaded with witnesses and anyone with information to come forward. She said, destiny didn't deserve this. She lit up a room. You couldn't embarrass her. She was just a happy person. She never had a negative word to say about anybody. If somebody came to her with anything negative, the first thing out of her mouth was, that's not my business.
End quote Brenda said, destiny wasn't one to hurt people or to talk about them. She was the one to help them. So it's just hard for the family to understand why this would happen to such a wonderful person. Destiny's sister Brianna shared how [00:19:00] difficult it was not to hear from her. Especially since they typically spoke several times a day.
She said, quote, the phone is not ringing. It's really weird. I wake up every day and it's just like, oh, okay. And then the reality sets in that I'm not gonna see my sister again. It's just been really hard in quote. Four days after Destiny's Life was stolen, her family and friends gathered at Friendship Park with members of the community to honor her memory.
Everyone came dressed in Destiny's favorite color, which was green, and as the sun was setting, they released green balloons into the sky. Loved one shared stories about destiny and reminisced about her goofy personality and her contagious laughter, and they remembered how destiny was determined to make everyone she talked to crack a smile.
Brianna spoke to Fox 10 Phoenix from the park and shared gratitude for the support the family had been shown. She said quote, it makes me happy to know that so many people cried about my sister because I don't want her to be forgotten or just [00:20:00] to be known as the girl shot at a food truck, because she was more than that.
Destiny's family was determined to find the answers amidst their grief, and they desperately wanted to know more about her death. By July 27th, they had raised $2,000 towards a reward and launched a Facebook group called Justice for Destiny, which just became a safe space to keep the community updated on the case, and also to share memories of Destiny as a reminder of who she really was before that tragic night.
One of the most personal things shared was Destiny's Burn Book, and some of us may have heard Burn book in the context of the movie Mean Girls, where it was really just a diary of grievances. But that's not what Destiny's Burn book was at all. It was just a personal journal that was filled with fun little prompts.
Destiny would answer about herself. So under my favorite things she wrote, family, pets, friends, food and music. As for the person she loved the most. Her mom, of [00:21:00] course, and her hero was also her mom. Her guilty pleasure was potatoes, and her secret skill was making people feel better in one prompt. She used six words to describe herself and the words she chose were annoying, funny, kind, stingy, loving, and weird.
Love it. I actually love those words to describe yourself. Mm-hmm. She wrote that her biggest fear was losing the people she loved most. And on one page she answered the question, if I could change one current event in the world, it would be, and destiny simply answered murder. Oh my gosh. On August 8th, Destiny's family organized a car wash fundraiser as a way to keep Destiny's story in the public eye.
People showed up by the dozens. They were eager to help in any way that they could, and by the end of the day, they had raised $4,000, all of which was put towards the reward for information about Destiny's murder. Unfortunately, though there were still more questions and answers, the police still weren't.
A [00:22:00] hundred percent sure whether the shooting was random. As one witness told Fox 10 that he believed Caramba nightclub had been targeted because it's a gay nightclub. Then on September 2nd, police got a potential break. They released images of two potential witnesses, a man and a woman who both had dark brown hair.
These individuals were not considered suspects, but police wanted help in identifying them as they may have seen or known something. Destiny's family clung to the hope that these witnesses might be able to provide the missing piece that could bring them one step closer to Justice. Destiny's mom, Brenda made it her mission to keep pushing the case forward and to get answers for her daughter.
In her interview with Hailey, Brenda said she was thankful for the detective that was assigned to the case. He told her that she could ask him anything though that didn't always mean he'd have an answer. He just wanted Brenda to know that he was available to her at any time, which is really the type of transparency that Brenda [00:23:00] cherished, especially in a world where so much had been taken from her.
Being able to trust the detective she was working with brought a small sense of comfort, and I love this detective for this. It's incredible. I imagine that this was so great for her because we do hear stories unfortunately, where people's. Don't have a great relationship with the detective or feel like they're being, you know, roadblocks are put between them or whatever, but him even saying I'll answer anything, you know, that I can, there's some things he can't answer.
And just even being transparent and saying that, right, there's some things I can't, I mean, that has to be something you can hold onto that you know you're being told the truth. Right. So the detective even returned Destiny's phone to Brenda after the police had backed up all the necessary data for the investigation.
And we've seen that before in the case of Ashley Love, where they have her computer for years and years and the family just wants it to have those things back. So I'm, I'm very. Grateful to this detective. I think that's great. Yeah, and of [00:24:00] course this gesture meant the world to Brenda as she now had access to Destiny's videos, her photos, and her voice messages.
As much as Brenda leaned onto this detective, he also leaned on her and he encouraged her to keep speaking out about Destiny's story and to never give up on keeping the case in the public eye. The only way to solve the case was. To hope that someone came forward. He told Brenda he was so proud of her in the way that she was able to turn her grief into action to honor destiny.
And as for the case itself, the detective does not believe that destiny was targeted. Specifically it was dark outside. The shooter was in a moving vehicle. It would be nearly impossible to pick one specific person outta the crowd that night, but of course, that doesn't make Destiny's loss any easier for her family.
We still have more to get into and we will after one last break to hear a word from this week's sponsors. Before the break, we were talking about the investigation into destiny. McLean's shooting death, which occurred [00:25:00] outside of a nightclub while she stood at a taco truck waiting for food. Her mom, Brenda, has made it her mission to find answers and get to the bottom of her daughter's shooting, and thankfully, she has been able to work with the detective that is investigating the case and has formed a really great relationship with him.
Gun violence really is nothing new in Phoenix, but by 2021 it had reached an alarming level. Destiny's death is unfortunately not an isolated tragedy, but rather is a part of a growing crisis. By mid-September of that year, over 13,000 people, including Destiny, had been killed by guns in the United States.
The year before, non suicide related shootings and gun homicides took over 19,000 lives, which was the highest number. In two decades, nationwide homicides had jumped 30% from the previous years. With gun violence being the leading cause. In Phoenix, the numbers were just as staggering. From 2011 to [00:26:00] 2019, the city averaged 130 homicides per year.
But in 2020 and 2021, that number increased to 204 per year. The streets were becoming more dangerous, and families like destinies were left grieving and without answers. In June of 2022, Phoenix Police launched Operation Gun Crime Crackdown, which was a pilot program designed to curb gun violence in the city.
This initiative involved local, county and federal law enforcement working together to target gun related crimes with immediate follow-up. The goal of this was to be able to track down shooters, get illegal guns off the streets, and prevent more families from suffering the same heartbreaking experience as Destiny's family.
10 detectives were assigned to the precincts that had the highest rates of gun violence and the A TF installed agents with Phoenix's Gun Crime Intelligence Unit, which gave them access to the National Intelligence Ballistic Intelligence Unit. [00:27:00] So all of this allowed them to quickly compare bullet casings and other ballistics evidence, which made the process of tracking down the suspects a lot more efficient.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office also stepped in and assigned supervisors to work directly with the police to review gun cases that had been turned down for charges or had been sent back for further investigation. The US Attorney's office and the A TF agreed to evaluate these cases for potential federal charges, but law enforcement made it clear that they couldn't tackle this problem alone and that they needed the community's help.
So many people had become numb to the sound of gunfire. It had just become a part of life to hear gunshots. So the police urge residents to actually report gun violence and to call 9 1 1 when they heard shots. They also set up a tip line for people to call in and report those who were illegally in possession of firearms.
They clarified that it wasn't about taking guns away from law abiding citizens, but getting guns out of the hands of criminals and those who were not supposed to have [00:28:00] them. At the conference where they announced the initiative, they had photos of multiple victims, including destiny that were set on display.
November 28th, 2022 should have been a day of celebration as destiny turned 25 years old, but instead it was a painful reminder of a life that was stolen. Brenda refused to let grief rule the day and she decorated Destiny's favorite tree in their yard with glowing lights. At the base of the tree was a decorated stone that said A light remains where a beautiful soul has passed.
Destiny c McClain, 1997 to 2021, Destiny's Stepdad spoke with 12 news and said that Destiny was really the glue that had always put the family back together. Brenda said quote. I just have to have faith that we will get those answers. She was too good of a person for us not to get some closure. The Phoenix Police Department provided an update that Destiny's case remained under investigation, though no arrest had been made, and once again, they're [00:29:00] urging people to come forward with any information.
Brenda, who was now over a year into her unimaginable grief, wanted to actually do something. Destiny had been someone who spent her life helping others and being a source of kindness and love and laughter. So if Destiny couldn't be here to do that, then Brenda decided she would do it for her. Brenda was determined to make sure that Destiny's legacy would not be one of tragedy, but one of hope.
Brenda's family and friend supported her as she founded a nonprofit dedicated to carrying Destiny's kindness forward. Brenda said her goal with the foundation, which was called Our Destiny, our Future is to Memorialize Her Daughter. The Foundation's first initiative was a scholarship fund meant to uplift students who were compassionate, selfless, and dedicated to serving their communities.
Brenda told 12 news that forming this foundation has really helped her heal and to keep the focus on Destiny's legacy. She hopes the family will one day [00:30:00] receive closure, but she plans to just continue to focus on helping others, and Destiny's honor and believes that Destiny would be proud of what she's doing with that.
Additionally, Brenda has made significant contributions to the community, including reaching out to other moms who have lost a child to ensure that they never feel isolated. The foundation grew to be able to do other things like donating backpacks filled with supplies to children in need. In August of 2023, they actually donated over a hundred backpacks, loaded with school supplies, personal hygiene products, and more.
At Christmas time, the foundation hosts a drive for presents to give to children in foster care. In January of 2025, Fox 10 Phoenix released a docuseries about three unsolved murders in the area, and they featured Destiny's Story. This was actually the documentary that I mentioned earlier. Definitely worth watching.
It's, it's. I don't know. It touched my heart. Yeah, just seeing more about Destiny and her mom and, and I think it was really powerful. [00:31:00] But Brenda was interviewed for the documentary and she spoke about who Destiny was and how difficult life was without her. She explained that when it first happened, everyone was reaching out and checking in on her, but as time went on, people moved on with their lives and they stopped calling.
Meanwhile, Brenda's still stuck in this dark pit that she's trying to crawl out of. Brenda spoke about finding peace in her memorial garden, which is under Destiny's favorite tree. Brenda often places items that remind her of destiny under there, like a Winnie the Pooh statue. Brenda said she's watched the video of the shooter's car countless times and has analyzed every detail she's taken, still shots.
She's zoomed in, used different software to try and clear up the photo, but nothing has come of it. She said, I just need answers. Brenda desperately wants to know who her daughter's killer is. Phoenix Police Sergeant Bauer gave an update and said There's nothing that our investigators have evidentiary wise to show that she was a target of this [00:32:00] particular shooting.
But that doesn't mitigate the fact that the detectives are going to do everything they possibly can to identify who is responsible. This case is very unique because all we have to go off of is a vehicle. Brenda tells us that she thinks Justin Lum did a fantastic job producing the documentary and she felt like he really cared about her story.
She remains grateful that people continue to advocate for her daughter, especially when there are so many families out there who aren't getting the attention they deserve and don't have a platform to discuss their loved one's case. So where are things now? Destiny's case at the time of this recording still remains unsolved and her family, of course, is still desperate for answers.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Phoenix Police at 6 0 2 2 6 2 6 1 5 1, or silent Witness at 4 8 0 W-I-T-N-E-S-S, which is. 4 8 0 9 4 8 6 3 7 7 or for Spanish [00:33:00] 4 8 0 8 3 7 8 4 4 6, and there's a $7,000 reward available. You can also follow the Facebook and Instagram pages for our Destiny, our Future Foundation, and there's also a Facebook group, justice for Destiny.
This really broke my heart because not only is this incredible person who loved people, loved life, loved making other people happy and helping other people, but there's no real lead to go off of. There's no reason it was, you know, that she. She wasn't targeted. They've really ruled that out. Yeah. It's really a random act of violence and where do you start?
Right. And we've talked about, of course, things like this before where, I mean, this is the worst case scenario. Yeah. You know, they're like the police said they don't have much to go on and this type of, this is honestly so rare. It's not, it, it, it's rare until, it's not rare, you know, whenever you, and then something like this happens.
But that's one of the things that's so shocking about it, is thinking about [00:34:00] just being out minding your business. Literally just enjoying a night out and a random person decides to do this and, and ands up ruining an entire family, you know, just. It's completely forever. Yeah. It's nonsensical. It's just so sad.
This is definitely a really, really sad story just because there was no, no reason, right? There's no backstory, there's no, I mean, there's never a reason, but of course there's, there's no nothing like, there's no way to get closure because there's no explanation for why this happened to Destiny, and it's just very.
Upsetting and very sad. And we're so fortunate to be able to have worked with Brenda to, you know, to create this episode. And we've had the chance to work with so many families. And it is always, it's always so amazing to see when somebody who's been uh, impacted by something like this uses it to do good in the world.
And so Brenda is just another one of those amazing moms who, in the middle of her grief is trying to do something to make a change and to affect the lives of others in a positive way. [00:35:00] And I just, I think that just says. So much about her as a person and about destiny and family and how much she's loved and missed.
So, yeah, absolutely. And you see where Destiny gets it from, right? Like Absolutely. Obviously her mom. Yeah. But one thing I was thinking about, there's, if there's a shooter, there's probably two people in that car, right? At least, at least two people in that car. So it just takes one person to say something, one friendship that's, you know, years apart and you know.
Something, somebody gets mad at somebody, it can happen it, right? It happens all the time. We see it happen all the time. So I really have hope that they'll be able to get some answers and Me too, and they so deserve answers. All right guys, that was the story for this week. Thank you guys so much for listening, and we will see you back next week.
Same time, same place. New story. Have a great week. [00:36:00] Bye.
