Family still searching for answers, on the anniversary of a 21-year-old woman's disappearance

AUSTIN,Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - March 2010 was the last time Dora Soto-Derma would see her 21-year-old niece Julie Ann Gonzalez alive. 

Sunday on the anniversary of her disappearance her family and friends are still desperate for answers.

"We didn't get the call we didn't get a text we didn't hear nothing. We knew something was wrong."

The Walgreens near the intersection of South 1st and Stassney Lane in south Austin is an area that has haunted Soto-Derma for years. 

"It's painful we avoid this area. We just avoid this area for obvious reasons," said Soto-Derma. 

It's been nine years since Gonzalez was reported missing.  

"She was a very good mom, good sister, cousin, and friend," said Soto-Derma Gonzalez's aunt.

Soto-Derma says her car was found abandoned in the Walgreens parking lot where Gonzalez worked. 

"I remember it like if it was yesterday. I remember the ordeal as if it were yesterday it really hurts," said Soto-Derma. 

Investigators say her ex-husband George De La Cruz was allegedly the last person to see her alive.

De La Cruz told investigators that Gonzalez had asked him to watch their daughter for a few more days and then left town with a new lover.

A story Soto-Derma says she didn't buy, and neither did a jury. 

Five years later De La Cruz was trial for the murder of his estranged-wife

During the trial, prosecutors showed evidence connecting De La Cruz to the case. 

They reportedly couldn't ignore tracking data from cellphone towers that put Gonzalez's missing phone near locations where De La Cruz frequently visited.  And said he went on a shopping spree with her debit card.

De La Cruz was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. However, till this day Gonzalez's body has never been found.

Gonzales says it doesn't compare to the life sentence her family is currently serving. 

"Waiting for answers waiting for a sign a clue. My family wants to know where she is whether alive or gone," said Soto-Derma. 

And says even though the family has their justice they still haven't been able to lay Gonzalez to rest. 

"That's what we want we want to know where she is she needs to be buried properly," said Soto-Derma.