'It's heartbreaking': Family seeks answers nearly 2 years after mom shot to death in front of 2 kids

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Marlene Montgomery is still searching for her daughter's killer two years after her death.

"It's just heartbreaking," Montgomery said. "For them to ask me, 'will I ever see my mom again?' It's heartbreaking."

Kristina de Jesus was killed in front of her two children on August 16, 2021, the day before her son's seventh birthday.

"I just have to keep going, because now, I'm living for them. I'm not living for me. I'm living for my grandchildren," Montgomery said.

The 26-year-old mother was walking out of her home near 89th and South St. Lawrence when someone began firing in her direction. The bullets, her family said, were meant for someone else.

"You know, it's hard, like on Mother's Day, when my grandson had his breakdown, because other children were making Mother's Day cards. And, I told him, you know, you have to believe you've got me. And he said, 'OK, I know.' But it's not the same as having your mom," Montgomery said.

Cook County Crime Stoppers passed out flyers on Saturday in hopes of bringing attention to her case once again.

De Jesus' family believes someone knows something, and is begging anyone with information to come forward.