On Valentine's Day 2010, John Valdivia was shot and killed in the driveway of his KCK home.
Today, his murder is still unsolved, as his family works to honor his memory and increase the incentive for someone to come forward with information about the case.
That day
Valdivia's mom, Guadalupe Rennau remembered, "It was kind of a rainy and cold Valentine's Day and we got the phone call."
That day, Valdivia was coming home with a heart-shaped pizza and flowers for his fiance.
The couple was planning to share the holiday with their brand new baby boy who was just 10 days old.
"He was born on February 4th so he got to spend 10 days with him," Rennau shared.
The case
The murder is still unsolved and the case has gone cold. Right now, the reward for information leading to an arrest is $15,000 and the family is growing it every year.
Rennau told 41 Action News, "That's my hope to keep increasing it and hopefully one day someone will come forward because it's still unsolved."
That's why every Valentine's Day, Valdivia's family comes together for a benefit to raise money to add funds to the reward.
April Fonsecca, Valdivia's aunt, said, "We celebrate his life but at the same time it's a sad day because it kind of reminds us of what happened the day he was taken away from us."
His uncle, Rick Valdivia, said although the event is important, "Unfortunately it's a sad reminder of what happened to him on Valentine's Day."
His car
One thing that Valdivia loved was the GMC Jimmy that he lovingly restored and had custom painted gray and white, the colors of the Oakland Raiders, which was his favorite team.
It was outfitted with wheels, TVs and a brand new sound system before his death.
For nearly six years, the car was held by Kansas City, Kan., police as evidence.
Rennau called the department multiple times in hopes of getting the car her son cherished back, but was stalled multiple times.
Finally, just after Christmas 2015, it was released to her.
"I was so excited, so happy. It was like a little piece of my son was coming home. I was thrilled because that meant a lot to him," Rennau said.
The car was only a shell of what it once was. The paint was faded and the tires were flat. It was also completely stripped inside - except for one thing, a rosary given to Valdivia by his mom.
A plea for help
The family hosted the 6th annual Johnny Valentine Benefit on Saturday, a dance to raise money for the reward for information in his case.
Rennau said, "There's not a day that goes by, not an hour that I don't think about him."
