Lucely “Lily” Aramburo disappeared on June 1, 2007, and has not been seen since.
“Chances are you’ve probably never met Lily but if you did, you would understand why we’re so determined to find her. Lily was a girl of peace, a young mother who loved her baby boy very much. She was a humble person and good friend who touched everyone she met with her beautiful smile. She had the energy of a small child.
She loved music and although she loved rock, oldies were secretly her favorite songs. She loved to read and write in her journals, but refused to learn computers. She was a very simple girl, who shopped at vintage stores, and hardly ever wore make up. The term earth girl, comes to mind when I think of her. And pixie, as well. People would often confuse her with being a teenager because she looked so damn young.
Lily was tough as steel, both emotionally and physically. Once she fell off a 2nd story building at the University of Miami campus. She went to the hospital and walked out, took the brace off and kept going, because she had to be at work the next day.
When she was pregnant with her son, she glowed. It was the most amazing time in her life. The loveliest I had ever seen her. Her skin looked a golden olive, and her almond-shaped eyes, glistened. I could see life in her. And she was truly happy and hopeful, looking forward to the birth of her son.”
The above story is sad and tragic but the story must be told if we want to stay truthful. Lily did not just disappear. She had a history of getting lost… lost in her thoughts, in drugs, in alcohol, trying to find herself but she never really succeeded. She almost did succeed after the birth of her son, but the drugs proved to have too strong a hold on her.
According to others, Lucely “Lily” Aramburo disappeared wearing nothing but “a long nightgown while holding two bungee cords.” Some people who claimed to have seen her that night stated that they called out to her but she kept walking, not responding to their voices.
Lily was born on November 16, 1983, in San Francisco, CA. Her parents split up and after the divorce there was very little contact between Lily and her father. Lily started to develop problems while attending Hollywood Hills High School. Not having a father around was one issue she had to deal with but according to the article that quotes her own mother, she hung out with teens that did not have a lot of parental supervision. The group started to use marijuana and they stayed out all night. Her mother remembered that around that time, Lily got diagnosed with depression.
Around her sixteenth birthday, things went from bad to worse when Lily dropped out of school and began experimenting with ecstasy, ketamine, and other designer drugs. She would stay out all night, sleep in parks, and in the streets. Her mother would search frantically for her night after night. Lily did go home now and then. She would rest and sober up only to disappear again. It was during this period that Lily met Kelly Rae Starling with whom she lived on the streets, in cars, and vacant houses. Kelly confirmed in the above mentioned newspaper article that Lily used drugs.
In 2003, when Lucely “Lily” Aramburo was twenty years old, she met David Lamaso who was, according to the newspaper article, a heroin addict. The relationship was anything but healthy and Lily became more and more dependent on drugs. By 2004, they were experimenting with crack cocaine. The effects on Lily were clearly visible. According to her mother, she became angrier. During this time, her mother said, Lily was diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia. “She was paranoid and having hallucinations.”
In 2006, Lily found out she was pregnant. The fact that another life was now growing inside her gave her strength to change. She stopped using drugs, took Buddhism courses, became calmer, and even earned her GED. During these Buddhism courses, she met Janet Forte who helped her during her pregnancy. The two became very close friends. In 2007, Lily gave birth to Palden.
Janet has worked tirelessly on Lily’s case. The fact that the case is now on the Internet is thanks to Janet, who sometimes works 12 hours per day to get Lily’s disappearance more media attention.
Lily’s last boyfriend is probably the last one who saw her alive. Unfortunately, he was high on drugs at that time and was not able to stop Lily from leaving his house. Their relationship was rocky but somehow they applied for a marriage license and discussed relocating to Arizona. His drug use and the many late night parties were not a good environment for her son. After police had been to the house a few time, Lily’s mother got custody of Palden.
Reading through the newspaper article and Janet’s blog, you get the impression that from all missing persons’ cases, Lily’s is not getting any priority. Whether that is due to a lack of personnel or because other people, not living a drug-filled life, get priority, I don’t know.
One thing is obvious. A drugged, depressed, and probably hallucinating Lily takes off dressed in only a nightgown. There is a good chance that Lily was lured into another house to use drugs as some people say happened. But, with her tender, childlike figure, it is also possible that she was seen by some persons involved in trafficking. They may have anticipated a runaway child who was wandering the streets. Upon discovering that the person they grabbed was actually an adult, Lily’s body may have been dumped along the routes. An extended search of known trafficking routes could be useful in this case.
If you have any information please call the Miami-Dade Police Department at 305-418-7200.
Note: I consistently found the spelling of the name “Lily” with both a single and double “L” so I chose the single L spelling.