041 - The Vanishing of Lily Aramburo

Twenty-three year old Lily Aramburo was on top of the world. She'd overcome her addictions, transformed her life and given birth to a son who she loved beyond compare. She'd recently moved in with an old friend, Christen, after each shared their true feelings and they were building a life together, but in early 2007, it would all begin to fall apart. Christen was still using, and before long, Lily fell back into the powerful grip of addiction.

After several disputes, Child Services removed her son from her custody, and Lily was sent to rehab. She later failed a drug test and was ejected from the rehab center, losing her chance to win custody back. On June 1st, 2007, Lily and Christen had two friends over to their condo. At 2am, on June 2nd, Lily is alleged to have walked out of the condo wearing only a night gown and carrying bungee cords with her. She left behind her cell phone, wallet and personal items.

Christen didn't report her missing for days, and when he did, he claimed that she may be suicidal. Investigators with the Miami-Dade police waiting a week to investigate, and when they did, they quickly dismissed Lily as a drug addict who had run off. It wouldn't be until years later that they would officially question Christen, giving him a polygraph test. They reported the results, saying that Christen passed. Years later, it would be found that he had actually failed. This was only one of many mistakes discovered years after Lily vanished, and while the investigation was remarkably flawed, there was an utter media blackout leaving Lily's story untold and widely, unknown.

The diligence and determination of Lily's mother, Lucely and Lily's best friend, Janet Forte, was all that kept her name alive. Later, when detective Ray Hoadley took on the case, a true investigation was finally conducted and a myriad of mistakes, lies and unanswered questions were uncovered. Suspicions began to turn towards those closest to Lily and the inconsistencies were challenged.

What happened to Lily Aramburo? Did she simply walk off, into the night, never to be seen again? Was she overwhelmed by addiction, the removal of her son and her unhappy relationship, and as a result chose to commit suicide? Did Lily fall victim to a violent drug dealer with a history of murder? Or, does Lily's fiance and the man she lived with, Christen Pacheco (no relation), know more than he is saying?

Join host Steven Pacheco as he examines this tragic, complex and sadly overlooked case in hopes of finding the truth. For more information about Lily Aramburo: Follow @Yogini on twitter and visit justiceinmiami.org Use #justice4lily to promote this episode and Lily's story, perhaps together, we can bring the attention this case deserves.

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Music courtesy of: "Lost Time" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Episode sponsored by: www.fiuonline.com/podcast