Fresno family wants answers 13 years after 3 brothers murdered

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Three brothers, three murders and a police investigation that has now spanned 13 years. The case has grown cold, and after more than a decade, it has a Fresno family desperate for answers and desperate for your help.

For the family of 21-year-old Jose Jimenez, 16-year-old Fernando Avalos and 20-year-old Robert Jimenez, May 1st is always spent at the cemetery. On this 13th anniversary of their murder, a prayer, some balloons and gatherings are the only connection they have to the three men who have now missed birthdays, holidays and major life events.

Their mother, Elvira Avalos said, "I see my grandchildren growing. I see my grandson doing so good in school, he's doing great in his wrestling matches, and I could just imagine my son sitting there being so proud of him."

For 15-year-old Isaiah, that means a life without a dad. He was only 2 when Jose Jimenez was killed. He wears his father's jewelry and relies on his aunt and grandmother to tell him about the man he'll never grow to know.

"What did they do or what did I do to go through what we're going through? I would've loved having my sons around my grandchildren. I know they would have been so happy," said Avalos.

It was May 1, 2002. Family members say Jose and Robert Jimenez and their younger brother Fernando Avalos got a phone call. All three then went to an apartment complex near Maple and California avenues, and then someone opened fire.

Fresno police issued a murder warrant for Enrique Perez. But the victim's family believes he's fled to Mexico, taking everything he knows about the crime with him.

Their aunt, Irma Martinez said, "Someone please I know you know they know something."

Which leaves a devastated family begging for answers, begging for someone to call police with information about a case that's grown too cold.