Love Triangle - The Murder of Tzatzi Sanchez

We’re back with a brand-new season of Sins & Survivors. For our premiere, we’re covering a case that shook Las Vegas in early 2001 — the tragic death of 27-year-old Tzatzi Sanchez, a promising UNLV student whose life was filled with ambition, friendship, and possibility.

What began as an ordinary night with friends ended with one of the most disturbing crime scenes investigators had ever encountered. At first glance, it looked like a violent home invasion. But as the pieces came together, a far more complicated and unsettling story emerged.

Who Was Tzatzi Sanchez?

Born in Mexico City in 1973, Tzatzi came to Las Vegas for opportunity and education. She enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), studying hotel management at the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality.

Her parents helped her get settled in a quiet neighborhood east of campus, not far from Boulder Highway and Wetlands Park. To support herself and build her independence, she worked as a waitress at Piranha Nightclub, a popular spot near UNLV.

Friends described her as motivated, sociable, and kind — someone who was building her own path while staying closely connected to her family back home.

A Night That Changed Everything

On the morning of January 15, 2001, two of Tzatzi’s roommates stumbled out of their East Hayward Avenue home in a panic, begging a neighbor to call 911. Inside, police would discover a crime scene that stunned even seasoned investigators.

What had happened inside that house overnight? And why did this so-called “home invasion” seem to hide something deeper?

The Questions Investigators Faced

From the very beginning, detectives had more questions than answers.

• Why was the house littered with signs of a party, yet one bedroom looked like it had been deliberately ransacked?

• Why did the supposed intruders make bizarre demands for things that didn’t exist in the home?

• And why was Tzatzi singled out in such a brutal way, while others inside the house survived?

As the case unfolded, friends, coworkers, and relationships came under scrutiny — revealing a tangled web of jealousy, betrayal, and control that went far beyond the initial theory of a break-in gone wrong.

Why We’re Covering This Case

The murder of Tzatzi Sanchez isn’t just a shocking Las Vegas story. It’s also a case that highlights how intimate partner violence, manipulation, and jealousy can escalate to devastating consequences.

It’s a reminder that red flags don’t always look the same — and that domestic violence can happen in any kind of relationship.

Listen to the Full Story

We cover the case in detail — from Tzatzi’s background to the twists that investigators uncovered — in the Season 3 premiere of Sins & Survivors.

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