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Office of the Chancellor / Public Affairs
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
 

Daily Bulletin 8-19-03

Vigil for Cal Poly coed held
20-year-old woman found murdered

By MELISSA PINION-WHITT

 
POMONA — A candlelight vigil was held Saturday to mark the two-year anniversary of the murder of a Cal Poly Pomona coed.

The vigil, organized by the family of Christina Burmeister and the Chi Omega sorority, was at 6:30 p.m. at Cal Poly Pomona.

Christina Burmeister, 20, was found dead in the San Gabriel Mountains on Aug. 18, 2001. Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives said people still call with tips, but they have received fewer as the case grows older.

"We still follow up on any clues that come in," said Los Angeles County sheriff's Detective Philip Guzman. "Unfortunately, we're no closer today than we were then."

Christina was found dead inside her brand new Chevy S-10 pickup truck off Highway 39 above Azusa, the morning after she left her home in Cerritos to attend a sorority get-together.

Police said that before the Chi Omega sorority member could make it to her destination at a Pomona fraternity house, she was abducted.

She was taken to Washington Mutual bank in Montclair. There, a hooded figure was captured on videotaped surveillance making two withdrawals out of Burmeister's ATM account - one for $200 and two for $100.

Detectives said the person who withdrew the money is a woman. More than one person was involved in the abduction and killing, detectives suspect.

Rosie Burmeister, Christina's mother, said that after two years, life has become a little easier.

"Our life, of course, will never be the same, but we're moving along," she said.

Burmeister said she plans to put up a new banner at the site where her daughter's body was found, since the previous one had been torn down.

She said she's also planning to approach legislators in the next few months to get a new law passed to make 411 calls traceable.

It's important, Burmeister said, because a 411 call was made by Christina's abductors on the woman's cell phone just two minutes before money was withdrawn from her account. Burmeister said she wants to know the number requested during that call, but the phone company has told her they cannot trace it.

"I feel that call could be the answer to cracking this case," she said.

Burmeister has requested that anyone who wishes to help pursue legislation on tracing 411 calls e-mail her atfamburm01@aol.com .

While leads have not brought detectives any closer to Christina's killer, investigators said they hope someone who knows something will come forward.

"Even if they weren't directly involved, people talk and there has to be someone out there who has some information that they can pass to us," Guzman said.

Various entities have pooled together a $130,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this case.

Anyone with information on the case may call Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives at (323) 526-5541.

The vigil will be at the college's old history horse stables building. Cal Poly is at 3801 W. Temple Ave.