Texas authorities are renewing an appeal for information about the 1995 killing of Celia Loya in El Paso, with a featured-case reward of up to $6,000. The higher amount is conditional: the Texas Department of Public Safety says qualifying information must arrive before the next featured Texas Rangers cold case is announced.
The department's October announcement identifies Loya as 30 and says El Paso police and the Rangers continue investigating. It seeks information about her activities before her death, especially from people who saw her or were nearby that morning, and from anyone who witnessed suspicious activity.
Loya was found dead at her east-side home on February 7, 1995. DPS says investigators pursued leads, conducted interviews and examined evidence, but no arrest has been made. The announcement is a renewed request for public assistance; it does not announce a suspect, an arrest or a newly established explanation of the killing.
Why the official pages list two reward amounts
The Rangers' standing case record, numbered 321, still labels the homicide unsolved and displays the ordinary reward of up to $3,000. The separate program page explains the distinction: featured cases receive a temporary increase to as much as $6,000. Its current featured-case link leads to Loya's record.
The standing amount should therefore not be mistaken for the increased offer in the dated appeal. Equally, the $6,000 maximum should not be presented as an unconditional payment for submitting information. DPS ties the reward to information leading to an arrest and to use of the designated Crime Stoppers channels.
The program normally features a case every other month. That description is not a calendar deadline for this particular offer: the notice makes the next featured announcement the cutoff. It gives no specific replacement date, so readers should check the current DPS notice before relying on the increased amount.
Use the designated tip channels
For reward eligibility, DPS directs people to call Texas Crime Stoppers at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477), or use the online tip link on the official announcement. Its instructions say to select the featured cold-case and Texas Rangers cold-case categories. Crime Stoppers provides a tip number rather than requiring a name, according to the program page.
The case record separately lists a Rangers information route, including 1-800-346-3243. It explicitly warns that this alternative does not guarantee anonymity and does not provide a cash reward. Readers should distinguish that route from the Crime Stoppers process rather than assume the same protections and eligibility apply to every contact method.
This report describes the agency's public appeal and published terms, not an independent reconstruction of the homicide. TAQ compared the dated notice, case record and program rules; those documents all come from DPS. Their agreement does not independently establish who committed the crime or whether a particular tip will qualify for payment.
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AI-generated conceptual illustration; not an image of Celia Loya, her home or evidence from the case.
