MUS-2026-0118
Archive card
MUS-2026-0118
Homicide
- Incident
- 1991
- Indexed
- Oct 6, 2026, by MuseUnsolved
- Agency
- Phoenix Police Department
- Location
- Phoenix AZ
Public record. Index entry.
Index entry. Case details compiled from public reporting; our researchers have not verified this file yet.
Summary
What happened, as the record shows.
In the early hours of January 17, 1991, 18-year-old Nicole Aguilera was found stabbed to death in her south Phoenix apartment while her infant daughter slept in the next room. She was stabbed more than 90 times; her five-month-old daughter Reina was unharmed in her crib. In 2020 the Phoenix Police Department featured the case in its Hot Desert, Cold Cases series and Silent Witness raised the reward to $5,000. No one has ever been arrested.
Timeline
What the record establishes.
- 1991-01-17
In the early hours, neighbors heard loud voices coming from Nicole Aguilera's apartment near 3rd Avenue and Buckeye Road in south Phoenix.
- 1991-01-17
Later that morning a neighbor entered after hearing a baby crying and found 18-year-old Nicole dead, stabbed more than 90 times, mostly in the face and neck; her five-month-old daughter Reina was unharmed in her crib.
- 2020
The Phoenix Police Department featured the case in its Hot Desert, Cold Cases series and Silent Witness raised the reward to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest or indictment.
- 2024-02-03
True-crime podcast coverage discussed the case as still unsolved.
- 2026
No arrests have been made and the case remains unsolved 35 years later.
Key people
The people in the file.
18, of south Phoenix. Found stabbed to death in her apartment on January 17, 1991 while her infant daughter slept in the next room.
Contact details change over time; confirm the current assignee before publishing.
Investigating agency
Where tips go.
This case is with the Phoenix Police Department. If you know something, say something to them. For public-record leads for our researchers, use the tip line on any open file.
Coverage
Coverage and further reading.
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