Theresa Huston tells her son that on Dia de los Muertos, his grandmother leaves him a gift even though they have never met.

“It’s the one day she can come back,” Huston tells the 6-year-old about the Day of the Dead, the Mexican celebration every November when she believes the souls of the dead return to be with their families.

It’s a bittersweet tradition for Huston, who lost her mother when she was 14.

Tina Huston, 35, was found murdered on Oct. 30, 1995. Left behind were her three children, William, 15, Theresa, 14, and Tracy, 12.

Her death is one of 33 cases the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office classifies as a cold case, meaning the unsolved criminal investigations won’t be actively reopened without credible new leads.

Huston said the 30th anniversary of her mother's death has hit h

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