May 04, 2026 | By: Miguel Hernandez

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and the University of North Florida’s Applied Journalism class.

29-year-old Mariela Vargas Brown was driving down Ruston Way with her ex-boyfriend on a cool April night in Washington State. The road is alongside the Tacoma Waterfront, a popular destination for many in the city. As the pair drove along the road, a single shot rang out across the waterfront. The car smashed into a pole on the side of the road. Within minutes, Mariela’s ex-boyfriend was kneeling beside her broken body, holding her. She died at the scene of a gunshot wound.

Mariela was born on October 19, 1991, in Escondido, California. Her family moved to Tacoma, Washington shortly after. She was the second of the three children the Brown family had. Despite being the middle child, Mariela was far from invisible.

“She was like a little, big sister for me,” said Kendra Vargas Brown, the older sister of Mariela. “She would always help me out even if she disagreed with what I was doing.”

Mariela was almost inseparable from her sisters. “Mari often joked about where her ‘baby’ was when referring to me if I ever left her sight,” said Andrea Vargas Brown, the younger sister of Mariela. Whatever she did, Andrea and Kendra were right there with her. Every weekend they would go to the beach when they lived in California. They would call themselves the mermaids after swimming far from shore or even to the other end of a lake or pool. Yet, her interests expanded far more than just the ocean.

“When Mari was 4 years old, she had gotten a fake hairstylist set. The moment she saw it she ignored everything else under the tree,” said Mariela’s mom.

A little while later, her interests jumped to becoming a tattoo artist. As an adult, she saw a future in phlebotomy. Mariela saw firsthand her mother’s struggles growing up and carried a desire to make sure she could support the family she never had a chance to have. In between her social life and family life, she pursued medical school for phlebotomy. She loved every second of her job. Cartoon characters were scattered across her scrubs and kids even asked to see her whenever they came into the clinic. Despite her job involving syringes and blood, Mariela could brighten the day of whoever walked through the door.

Mariela put her all into whatever she was interested in. “She had the confidence and the energy to stand her ground for what she believed in,” her mom said. That confidence and love for life extended just as much to her family as it did for her.

Over the years, Mariela took on the role of an anchor for the family. If somebody needed help, she would go out of her way to help them. That help would even extend to friends. She was one of the most loyal people you could meet, according to her mom.

When she was not with family, she was hanging out with her friends by the waterfront. She had an uncanny ability to bring people together from many different backgrounds to hang out and have a good time. Sometimes she would go with one of her boyfriends to visit clubs where she quickly made friends with the bouncers and the performers on stage. Wherever Mariela went, she would quickly find herself talking to everybody and making plenty of friends along the way. Whenever Mariela hosted a party, she invited as many people as she could. She would even try to bring folks over on holidays. Mariela did not want to leave anybody out.

As the years went on, Mariela’s caring nature never waned. Kendra and Mariela had a mild falling out when she disliked the path Kendra was going down with her rampant drug use. However, despite claiming she would not help her, Mariela often worked with her friends to help watch over Kendra just in case she needed help. This lasted for about two years until six to eight months before Mariela’s death.

Mariela was still very close with her mom and her younger sister Andrea during that time. She briefly went to Mexico for a few years to take care of her grandparents. Despite her knowing limited Spanish, Mariela was able to thrive and make plenty of friends in Mexico. She began slowing down her energetic lifestyle after returning to the United States. This was when Kendra and Mariela’s relationship began to improve again.

April 2021 was the last time Mariela and her family were able to connect. Her mom vividly remembers her last memory with Mariela. Shortly after Easter, Mariela wanted to enjoy leftovers at her mom’s place. Despite living in her own apartment, Mariela could not help but keep coming back to her mom’s home. Sometimes it was just to hang out or eat breakfast with her mom or sisters if they swung by. Mariela had gotten creative with turkey, a bread roll, and some mustard. Her mom had given her some flak for a weird breakfast, but Mariela with a swift motion ate the small sandwich in a single bite. Afterward, they shared one final laugh before Mariela had to leave for work. Later, Mariela would be driving along the Tacoma Waterfront around 10 p.m. where she was shot and killed in the 4300 block of Ruston Way. Around 10:30 p.m. callers reported the shooting.

Mariela Vargas-Brown was a person whose love for life was indescribably massive. She found joy in everything and wanted to help others see that, too. She was deeply loyal to her family but shared her kindness with strangers and friends alike. Mariela was able to accomplish so much in so little time. Her love for life will live on in the memories of the countless people she had helped over the years.

Anyone with information concerning Mariela Vargas-Brown’s Unsolved Homicide is asked to call the Tacoma Police Department at (253) 287-4455. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward, call Tacoma/Pierce County Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 222-8477.

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