Family unveils memorial mural in North Sacramento, calling attention to woman’s death

The family of a woman who was found dead in May unveiled a memorial mural in her honor Saturday in North Sacramento, hoping that information will come to light as a result.

Michelle Benavidez’s face now peers out over traffic along a wall at 1518 Del Paso Blvd. Family members are hopeful that renewed attention will bring someone forward.

Her body was found on May 14 near a light rail station at Florin Road in Meadowview. The location for the mural was chosen in part because it is right across from another light rail station.

Rachel Benavidez, the mother of the 30-year-old woman, is still seeking answers into her daughter’s death.

As of Friday, the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office had not issued a cause of death, and police have not released much information publicly regarding their investigation. Family members suspect foul play in Benavidez’s death.

“I’m still in the dark about the whole thing,” Rachel Benavidez said. “I know they’re looking out for the integrity of the case and there’s only so much they can tell us, and I’m OK with that as long as I know there’s going to be justice behind it.”

In May, the Sacramento Police Department said no details regarding the circumstances of Benavidez’s death could be released. On Saturday, a department spokesman said that there were no further updates available to release.

On Saturday afternoon, Rachel Benavidez and other family members were stationed across the street from the mural, sitting on benches in front of the Arden/Del Paso light rail station, watching the artists work on the mural.

Their hope is that someone with information into Michelle’s death will see the painting and find the courage to speak up, months after she was found dead.

“We’re still waiting to see if somebody’s seen (something) and somebody comes forward, and maybe something like this will touch their heartstrings,” Rachel said. “We need to all stand together for there to be any kind of change.”

Rachel Benavidez last spoke to her daughter during a phone call the night before she was found dead. Michelle Benavidez lived in Sacramento’s Pocket neighborhood and her family said she was well-liked. Family members and other volunteers previously posted flyers around the Florin light rail station asking for help from community members who could potentially have some information.

“As a mom, it’s hard for me, but ... everyone’s going to know who she is and what happened so that they can feel free to speak up,” Rachel Benavidez said.

Two artists were working on the mural Saturday: Shane Grammer and Ten Blair, both of whom donated their time to complete it. Grammer runs the Hope Through Art Foundation and Ten Blair, along with her husband, John Blair, runs Graffiti for Good.

Grammer was approached by a family member to help create the mural to raise awareness of Michelle’s death, and Graffiti for Good was able to gain permission to use the outer wall of a for-lease building for the mural, which could take about a week to fully finish.

Grammer painted the portrait of Michelle on Saturday, and Blair will be working over the next few days to add monarch butterflies and trees to the left of her portrait, an homage to the City of Trees that Michelle called home.

“I can’t let what happened to her go unnoticed,” Rachel Benavidez said.

The Bee’s Rosalio Ahumada contributed to this report.