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AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Friday marks 11 years since Kenia Monge disappeared from a Denver nightclub.

Monge, who died in April 2011, was murdered after accepting a ride from a stranger while leaving the nightclub. The teen’s remains were found on Sept. 7, 2011, after her killer confessed to police.

“The hurt never wanes,” her stepfather, Tony Lee, said. “It’s just something that’s with us, every single second, and every single minute of every day.”

Kenia Monge
Kenia Monge

“What’s been happening over the last week is unusual, and abnormal to me,” he said. “I’m hoping all these incidents are isolated and there’s no pattern to it or anything like that.”

Friday night, Aurora Police reiterated they have no evidence to prove the homicides are connected.

Records show 2022 has been a violent one for women in the state’s third-largest city, with five of the 12 homicide victims to date being women. 

That accounts for more than 40% of the total, a significant jump from years past:

  • 40% in 2022
  • 22% in 2021
  • 16% in 2020
  • 21% in 2019 

“These five girls all have families,” Lee said. “These families, 11 years from now, are going to be right here where I’m at today.”

Lee said it’s a wakeup call for women in the community to be alert.

“I’d like to implore young women, be careful, just be careful, and watch your back.”