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Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie

MURDERED: Nori Amaya

October 19, 2026 • 54m

Summary

⏱️ 10 min read

Overview

This episode tells the story of Noria Maya, a 38-year-old D.C. salsa dancer and restaurant co-owner who was found murdered in her apartment on November 2, 2009, after a Halloween night out. Despite surveillance footage, DNA evidence, and an extensive investigation, her killer has never been identified. The case is complicated by the fact that the murder occurred during Halloween weekend when clubs were packed with people in costumes and masks, potentially allowing the killer to hide in plain sight.

Discovery of Noria's Body

Carlos Amaya arrived at work on November 2, 2009, only to discover a major catering order had been canceled because his sister Noria never confirmed it. After she failed to show up for work, Carlos and his younger sister Liz went to Noria's apartment, where they found her dead in her bed. She was partially covered by a comforter, wearing only black underwear, with visible bruising and marks around her neck. The apartment showed no signs of forced entry or robbery.

  • Carlos discovered a 170-person catering order was canceled because Noria never confirmed it
  • Noria had been missing since Halloween night and hadn't shown up to help with a private party the day before
  • Noria had left her phone in a cab on Halloween night, which a cabbie returned to her family
  • Carlos and Liz found Noria's body in her bedroom, partially covered by a comforter with visible bruising
  • The apartment door was locked with no signs of forced entry, and nothing valuable appeared to be missing
" He turns on the light. He sees Nori's hair and one of her hands peeking out from under the covers. And when he gets closer, he notices marks around her neck. So Carlos pulls the comforter back and his sister is blue. She's only in her black underwear. So he can see all of the bruises all over her body. "

The Crime Scene and Evidence

Detective Tony Patterson discovered that Noria had been strangled with a ligature and showed signs of sexual assault. The killer demonstrated knowledge of forensics by cutting off all of Noria's fingernails and taking them from the scene. Despite these precautions, investigators found unidentified male touch DNA on Noria's body, though it didn't match anyone in CODIS. The killer may have also taken Noria's small red digital camera, which she was known to carry everywhere.

  • Noria was strangled with a 1/8 inch ligature and showed extensive bruising and signs of a struggle
  • The autopsy revealed injuries indicating she fought back, including bruising on her arms suggesting she was pinned down
  • The killer cut off all of Noria's fingernails and took them from the scene, demonstrating forensic awareness
  • No semen was found during the autopsy, but investigators believe Noria was sexually assaulted
  • Unidentified male touch DNA was collected from Noria's body but produced no matches in CODIS
" It was a 1-8 inch ligature of some kind that ultimately was used to strangle and kill her. But the autopsy shows that she fought back. "
" The fingernails that Nori always kept long had been cut all the way down. And Britt, the killer had to have taken the fingernails with them because there weren't any in her apartment. "

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