Sheriff seeks tips in unsolved 2017 Selma teen killing

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is again asking for help in the unsolved killing of 15-year-old Desiree Austin, a Selma teen shot on the 1400 block of Mill Street near Olive Street and later died at a hospital. The renewed appeal puts fresh pressure on a case that has remained open since 2017 and still lacks an arrest.

Selma police responded to gunfire on Aug. 31, 2017, and found Austin suffering from gunshot wounds. She was taken for medical treatment but did not survive. Nearly nine years later, investigators are still trying to identify the people tied to the shooting and the vehicle they believe was involved.

Detectives say a blue 2002 Buick Rendezvous with California license plate 7EDR747 was connected to the homicide. Witnesses told investigators the driver was a Hispanic woman with her hair in a messy bun, and authorities believe a man was also in the vehicle. That description, along with the car’s make, model and plate number, is the clearest public lead in the case.

Investigators also believe the firearm used in Austin’s killing may be linked to a separate shooting elsewhere in Fresno County, a detail that suggests the gun could connect more than one violent crime. For detectives, any tip that identifies the Buick, its occupants, where it was seen before or after the shooting, or who had access to the weapon could help narrow the case and move it forward.

The Sheriff’s Office renewed its public request for information in April 2026, underscoring that the homicide remains unsolved and that the trail may still exist in the community. Anyone with information is asked to call the Selma Police Department at 559-896-2525 or the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office at 559-600-3111.