Kaitlin Hernandez: Texas boy, 15, arrested in connection with murder of teen girl found dead in ditch
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.
SAN ANTONIA, TEXAS: A Texas boy was arrested in connection to the murder of 17-year-old Kaitlin Hernandez in her San Antonio neighborhood.
On March 12, Hernandez took a stroll in her neighborhood with a male companion. When she failed to return home that evening her family reported her disappearance. Hours later, authorities discovered her naked lifeless body in a ditch, Fox News reports.
What did SAPD report after discovering Kaitlin Hernandez body?
As per the statement released by the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), "Investigators were able to make an arrest after DNA from the victim matched the person last seen with the victim."
SAPD further reported that after the missing teen failed to respond to calls from her family, “an unknown man answered the phone saying he found the phone in a drainage ditch. The man met with the victim’s family member at a convenience store to return the phone. The man cooperated with the investigation.”
Subsequently, officers searched the area where the phone was discovered and found Hernandez's body, showing signs of strangulation and possible sexual assault, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office.
SAPD noted that the victim appeared to have been dragged to the location where she was found.
Officials interviewed the male friend who accompanied her on the walk that evening, yet insufficient evidence emerged to warrant charges against him. Nonetheless, as the investigation progressed, law enforcement concluded that "the male friend was the suspect in this case."
DNA samples were obtained from both the victim and the male individual, which were subsequently sent to the Bexar County Crime Lab. The results established a connection between the male individual and the victim.
"Based on DNA and other evidence, the suspect was arrested and taken into custody without incident. This is an active and ongoing investigation," stated the SAPD.
Kaitlin Hernandez’s aunt remembers her as ‘kind’
Crystal Rodriguez, the aunt of Hernandez, revealed that the suspect was acquainted with her daughter.
"[I]t was someone she knew. Someone she played with, Someone she trusted. We knew him for years. And now it has affected all our nieces and nephews. My children, mentally, can't trust their own friends. They don't know what they did to my family," she said.
Rodriguez admitted that she was starting to lose hope, but she commended the detectives for their relentless efforts, stating, "detectives were working day and night," responding to every call and text we sent.
She added, "They responded to everything, every question we had so I know they were working hard on this case. But whenever I got the call, I just fell to my knees because y'all got him off the streets, but Kaitlin can't come back."
Rodriguez previously described her niece as a "loving" and "kind" girl with "a lot of dreams." Hernandez was scheduled to graduate high school this spring.
Rodriguez recalled in March, "Kaitlin didn't hate anybody. Nobody that we're aware of hated Kaitlin. She just got baptized last year. She was getting more involved into God. She was going to church. She loved and cared for animals. She was going to be a veterinarian after she graduated."
Rodriguez has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to assist the victim's family in affording a proper burial. As per the GoFundMe page, $9,000 USD has been raised out of the $10,000 goal.
