Family of teenager found dead after going missing on Christmas Eve breaks silence following heartbreaking discovery
SOURCE:Daily Mail
The medical examiner determined the body was that of Texas student 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos and that she had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The family of a teenage girl found dead in a field after disappearing from her Texas home on Christmas Eve have broken their silence - saying she is now 'with the Good Lord.'
The medical examiner determined the body was that of the college student and that she had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to a Bexar County Sheriff's Office statement.
In a heartbreakingFacebookpost on New Year’s Eve, Olmos’ aunt, Nancy Olmos, spoke on behalf of the grieving family following the tragic news.
'In the name of the Olmos family, we want to give a humble and heartfelt thank you to all the news reporters, police detectives, FBI, churches, friends, family and many other communities for your support and prayers,' the post read.
'Our beloved Camila Mendoza Olmos is now with the Good Lord,' it added.
'We kindly ask that you please respect our pain and, most importantly, keep my cousin Rosario - Camila's mom - and my nephew Carlos - Camila's brother - in your prayers during this incredibly difficult time.'
The family of Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, of Texas - who was found dead in a field on Tuesday after disappearing from her home on Christmas Eve - have broken their silence
Olmos was last seen on a neighbor's surveillance camera leaving her San Antonio neighborhood just before 7am on December 24, prompting a week-long search as authorities feared she could be in 'imminent danger.'
In a Facebook post on New Year’s Eve, Olmos’ aunt, Nancy Olmos (pictured), spoke on behalf of the grieving family and said that the teen was now 'with the Good Lord'
Olmos' body was found by sheriff's deputies and FBI agents during a renewed search of the field, which they had decided to re-comb due to the dense brush.
A firearm was also found nearby, with the teen’s brother, Carlos, reporting that the same type of weapon had gone missing from their home shortly after Olmos disappeared.
A sheriff’s source told the Daily Mail that the remains matched Olmos’ description, and the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office has since confirmed her identity and ruled the manner of death a suicide.
Police believe Olmos had been dead for at least five to six days before she was discovered.
The Bexar County sheriff previously stated that authorities were considering all possibilities - including suicide - and that she had been dealing with depression, 'undercurrents of suicidal ideation,' and self harm in the months prior.
'We developed some information that there may have been some suicidal ideations on Camila's part,' the sheriff said.
'Undiagnosed, as far as we can tell,' he added. 'It sounds like this was a young person going through a very tough time in her life, going through some emotional issues.'
Olmos and her boyfriend, Nathan Gonzales, had also broken up in the fall when he moved out of down for college.
Olmos' body was found by sheriff's deputies and FBI agents during a renewed search of a field, which they had decided to re-comb due to the dense brush
The medical examiner determined the body was that of Olmos and concluded that she had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head
A body and a 9mm Luger pistol were found by authorities in a patch of tall grass at Burnin’ Bush, a landscaping business located just 100 yards behind the Olmos family home
Police believe Olmos had been dead for at least five to six days before she was discovered
'She had lost weight, her grades were down and she was feeling low from the break-up with the boyfriend,' her father, Alfonso Mendoza, a trucker who lives a block from his ex-wife, told the Daily Mail.
Olmos's mother, Rosario, was devastated by the recent news, repeating the words, 'So close to home,' according to 69-year-old Frank Trevino, a retired insurance salesman who has helped lead the search efforts for the missing teenager.
'Her eyes were not there,' Trevino told the Daily Mail, describing how Rosario was left staring at the wall.
The grim discovery came one week after Olmos vanished from her mother's driveway on Christmas Eve morning, where she had been living while attending Northwest Vista College with hopes of becoming an orthodontist.
Her disappearance immediately prompted urgent pleas from her family, with authorities recognizing the area she vanished from as a human-trafficking corridor.
That morning, KENS obtained surveillance footage showing Olmos rummaging inside her car wearing only a hoodie and pajama shorts before the video abruptly ended.
Police believe she took only her car keys and possibly her driver's license when she left home.
Authorities noted that her car was still parked at the residence, suggesting she left on foot. From that point, she was never seen again.
Olmos's mother, Rosario (pictured), was devastated by the news, repeating the words, 'So close to home'
The grim discovery came one week after Olmos vanished from her mother's driveway on Christmas Eve morning taking only her car keys and driver's license
Olmos had been living at her mother's home while attending Northwest Vista College with hopes of becoming an orthodontist
Olmos' family said she normally goes for morning walks but always took her phone, insisting it was out of character for her to leave without telling them where she was going.
The teen's childhood friend Camila Estrella said their last conversation was a day before her disappearance, when they planned to go dress shopping for her boyfriend's family event.
Estrella told the New York Post that Olmos' parting words were, 'Bye Cami, I love you.'
On Sunday, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told ABC News that authorities were 'not ruling out that this case may take us outside the borders of the continental United States.'
While withholding some specifics of the case, Salazar said the evidence collected so far suggested the teenage girl was in 'imminent danger.'
He made it a personal mission to ensure she had not been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, noting it was a 'concern' that had crossed his mind, despite Olmos being a US citizen.
Salazar then released new evidence on Monday: dashboard camera footage that, while blurry, appeared to show someone matching her description walking alone northbound on Wildhorse Parkway, just a few blocks from her home.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security immediately assisted with the desperate search, including monitoring border crossings and international travel.
The Bexar County sheriff previously stated that authorities were considering all possibilities - including suicide - and that Olmos had been dealing with depression, 'undercurrents of suicidal ideation,' and self harm in the months prior
The sheriff released dashboard camera footage that, while blurry, appeared to show someone matching Olmos' description walking alone northbound on Wildhorse Parkway, just a few blocks from her home
Additional extended family members from California and Mexico also rushed to Rosario's side after learning of their loved ones disappearance
Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office deployed drone teams, search dogs and cadets to continue scouring the area around Olmos’s suburb.
On Tuesday morning, searchers continued scouring local fields and ditches for the teen while her family clung to hope, even while acknowledging that the chances of finding her alive was growing slimmer each day.
'I'm going to tell you something,' her mother, Rosario told the Daily Mail Monday morning. 'Giving up is not an option.'
Additional extended family members from California and Mexico also rushed to Rosario's side after learning of their loved ones disappearance.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.