The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office in Texas found a body while searching for a missing 19-year-old girl on Tuesday, December 30th. Local authorities believe that the body belongs to the missing girl herself. The county has reported three missing girls and a 55-year-old man within a week.
According to Fox News, on Tuesday, the police found a female body in a field about 100 yards (approximately 91 meters) from the residence of the missing girl, Camila Mendoza Olmos, and discovered a firearm nearby.
Sheriff Javier Salazar, who led the search operation, stated on Wednesday, December 31st, that he “strongly” believes the body belongs to Olmos, who went missing on Christmas Eve, but the identity of the body and the cause of death still need confirmation from the medical examiner.
The body was discovered by Sheriff’s Office personnel and FBI agents in a high grass area around 4:40 pm local time on December 30th. The area had been searched before but was revisited due to the tall grass.
Authorities revealed that the clothing on the body resembled what Olmos might have been wearing when she went missing. A gun was also found at the scene, and a relative of Olmos had previously reported a missing gun, although it is yet to be confirmed if they are the same firearm.
Olmos was last seen around 7 a.m. on December 24th near her residence. She left without her phone, and surveillance footage showed her searching for something inside a car before walking out of view.
Sheriff Salazar noted that there were no signs of foul play at the scene, and it appeared that the body had been there for a few days. Some indications suggest the possibility of suicide, as the deceased had expressed suicidal thoughts and exhibited undiagnosed depressive symptoms.
He stated, “From the current situation, it seems like a young person going through a very difficult time in life.” This is a “heartbreaking case” and a “heartbreaking week.” He urged residents to care for their loved ones going through tough times.
Olmos’s case is one of the three missing girls in Bexar County within a week. 14-year-old Sofia Gabriela Peters-Cobos has been safely located, while 17-year-old Angelique Johnson remains missing since Christmas. Additionally, 55-year-old James Nunnery disappeared during the Christmas period while traveling to Mississippi. In his last call with his mother, he mentioned being 180 miles away from Dallas.
Law enforcement has stated that there is currently no confirmation of any connection between these cases. The Texas Department of Public Safety has canceled the missing person alert for Olmos.