Authorities discovered a body 100 yards from the home of 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos in San Antonio, who vanished on Christmas Eve and may have been in imminent danger.
When Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, went for a walk and didn’t return home, her mother knew something was wrong because it wasn’t like her daughter.
Rosario Olmos’ worst fears have just come true, with Camila’s body being discovered just 100 yards from their home in San Antonio with the police confirming it was death by suicide.
Camila was last seen on Christmas Eve, and when she didn’t return from her walk, the teen was reported missing. Camilla’s body was found yesterday with a gun nearby.
Mendoza’s disappearance sparked an intensive around-the-clock search operation. She was last spotted on Wednesday morning, Decemeber 24, may have been facing “imminent danger” when she went missing, according to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
The body was located shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, practically a week later, in an overgrown area that had previously been combed through, but which sheriff’s office personnel and FBI agents had revisited for a second examination.
The deceased was dressed in attire matching the description of what Olmos was believed to be wearing when she vanished, Salazar noted. “This is certainly not the outcome we were hoping for,” he stated.
The body was discovered approximately 100 yards from Olmos’ residence in northwest Bexar County. At the time, Salazar indicated he did not currently suspect foul play in her disappearance.
As of Tuesday evening, the body had not been formally identified, and neither a manner nor cause of death had been established.
Camila went missing on Christmas Eve
A firearm was recovered at the location where the body was found, Salazar confirmed. A family member of Olmos had reported a missing weapon, though Salazar said authorities have yet to determine whether it corresponds to the firearm discovered at the scene.
Earlier Tuesday, law enforcement released dash cam footage of an individual who may have been Olmos walking along a roadside. Although the video was captured in darkness, the person seemed to be dressed in clothing matching officials’ description of what Olmos was wearing at the time of her disappearance.
Olmos was last seen wearing a baby-blue and black hoodie, baby-blue pajama bottoms and white shoes, the sheriff’s department said in a post on social media.
The department had previously indicated it was examining footage captured by a neighbor’s doorbell camera. That recording showed someone, believed to be Olmos, looking through her vehicle for an unidentified item.
Her body was found 100 yards from her home with a gun nearby
Based on the sheriff’s department’s Facebook post, Olmos departed on foot carrying only her car keys and potentially her driver’s license.
Salazar noted that investigators have “indications of suicidal ideations from this young lady in the past,” along with “some depression issues.”
He declined to verify whether these matters were connected to her disappearance.
“What young person doesn’t have bouts of depression at a certain point? We can’t necessarily afford to just say: ‘Oh, well, that must be what it is,'” he said.
“We’ve got to consider all possibilities, from disappearing willfully, to the possibility of self-harm, to somebody may have taken her.”