Crime

College Student Who Was 'Living Life to Her Fullest' Was Stabbed to Death by Boyfriend, Who Then Killed Himself

Emilia Rueda, 20, was pursuing a degree in art at New Mexico State University at the time of her death

By

Published on October 13, 2022 02:05 PM

Last month, police discovered Emilia Rueda, 20, and Carlos Esparza, 19, dead after an apparent murder-suicide in an apartment complex in Las Cruces, N.M., after a welfare check.

Now it has been revealed how the couple died. Newly released documents confirm that Rueda was stabbed to death and that Esparza was found with a rifle next to him, KFOX14 reports.

Rueda was a student at New Mexico State University, according to a GoFundMe that was created for her family. She was pursuing a degree in art.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Her family said she was excited about her junior year at college, loved her job and was "living life to her fullest."

"Emilia will forever live within us, her smile, her laugh, her zest for life, compassion for others is what made her one in a million," the GoFundMe description reads.

In a September update on the GoFundMe, her family confirmed that Rueda was tragically killed by her boyfriend.

"Many of you may have questions as to what happened to our precious Emilia and to be honest we do not have all of the answers yet," the update read in part. "What we do know is that she was murdered by her boyfriend in her apartment on Monday September 19th."

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. An estimated 10 million people per year are physically abused by an intimate partner, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.