Milwaukee mother killed on Christmas Eve with 7-year-old in back seat

MILWAUKEE - Friends of a 27-year-old Milwaukee woman say she was on her way to enjoy Christmas Eve at her mother’s house when she was shot and killed on Milwaukee's south side Saturday, Dec. 24. Friends say her 7-year-old son was in the car at the time.

FOX6 News talked with a group of friends who knew Sildian Torres since she was a kid. They ask anyone who knows anything to come forward and tell police.

"It’s been so long, I don’t even remember the first day I met her," said Nicole Mojica.

Mojica and Torres had a bond not easily broken.

"She always had amazing humor, always laughed," said Mojica. "More like a sister."

The group came together when Torres' mother took care of them as kids in day care. They stayed friends well after Torres had a child of her own.

"He had to wake up on Christmas morning without a mom," said Mojica. 

Torres' close friends say they think the 27-year-old was in the wrong place at the wrong time when she was shot and killed near 29th and Greenfield Christmas Eve.

"She did not deserve this at all," said Jose Massas-Caraballo. "She was killed in front of her kid. Her kid was in the back seat when this happened."

Torres' friends who met in day care are now taking care of her family, helping arrange the funeral.

"Christmas Eve. She was on her way to her mom’s house," said Massas-Caraballo. 

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"Her mom made her favorite plate she wanted, and that food is still there," said Jacqueline Gonzalez. 

"The present (Torres' mom) was going to give her daughter, her daughter was going to come pick up, it’s in her hands," said Mojica. "She’s crying because she was never able to give it to her."

Torres' mom had this message for whoever did this:

"She’s forgiving. May God forgive you. We want justice, at the end of the day, just closure for her son, mom," said Mojica. 

The 27-year-old's death leaves a lasting impact.

"Christmas will never be the same," said Mojica. "Like, never, honestly."

Torres' life has also left a lasting impact on those who knew her, especially her family, friends and son. 

"I know he’s going to cherish the memories he had with his mom because I know they made a lot of memories," said Gonzalez. "He now knows she’s an angel, and she’s always going to be there for him, and we’re always going to be there for him," said Gonzalez. 

Torres' friends set up a GoFundMe.com account to help with funeral costs. They're hoping to hold it on a weekend so Torres' mother and her support system from the day care she works at can attend, but that costs extra.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact Milwaukee police.