CAYLEY'S STORY
The death of Cayley Mandadi
Nineteen-year-old Cayley was a sophomore at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas when she was killed in October 2017. An autopsy determined that her death was due to homicide caused by blunt force trauma to her head and face. After a lengthy investigation led by the Texas Rangers, a suspect was arrested and indicted on criminal charges of kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder.
The alleged crimes against Cayley might have been prevented if an emergency broadcast alert for adults between 18 and 64 years of age had been available in Texas at the time of her death. Key circumstances surrounding Cayley’s situation had been known to her college friends. On the evening of her disappearance, several of those friends went in person to the local police department and begged for assistance in locating her. However, without an adult alert mechanism to enable a rapid response, law enforcement agencies were limited in what they could do.
The birth of the CLEAR Alert
The crimes against Cayley were allegedly committed by a known suspect driving a known vehicle in a known location at a known time, but Cayley was 14 months too old to be considered for an Amber Alert, and she did not fit any of the other existing Texas alert criteria. In response to this tragedy, Cayley’s Mom and her supporters launched a legislative campaign to expand the Texas emergency broadcast alert framework to include endangered missing adults. Texas House Bill 1769 was passed unanimously by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on May 25, 2019.
Jump to THE CLEAR ALERT page for more information.
tributes
Taylor Clement, high school friend, December 9, 2017 eulogy.
Ariana Conway, sorority sister, April 25, 2018 media interview.
Dominique Hussain, sorority sister, November 8, 2017 tribute.
" I never met somebody who was so welcoming and so loving so quick. I think, if she would have had more time here, she would have infiltrated the world with her love, creating a difference. But, the thing is, somehow she managed to fit a whole lifetime of love into 19 years. I think that’s pretty awesome. And I don’t think anybody in this room can say that they don’t have room in their hearts to start loving people around them more. Maybe it’s the smallest little thing to begin with, but I think everybody could say that they could strive to be a little bit more like her. Because we might have lost her, but we should not lose what was important to her. So, I challenge you to start doing the things that Cayley would do. "
(Source)
Dominique Hussain, sorority sister, November 8, 2017 tribute.
Ariana Conway, sorority sister, April 25, 2018 media interview.
Dominique Hussain, sorority sister, November 8, 2017 tribute.
" My hope is that when people think of Cayley, they think of strength, kindness, and intelligence. I hope they realize that although she was beautiful she was so much more. She will truly be a part of this campus, and her impact on people is astounding. "
Ariana Conway, sorority sister, April 25, 2018 media interview.
Ariana Conway, sorority sister, April 25, 2018 media interview.
Ariana Conway, sorority sister, April 25, 2018 media interview.
" If you needed her, she would always be the first one knocking on your door, or calling you. She would do anything for other people – she was incredible. "
