Texas officials confirmed On Wednesday they found the body of 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos, who had been missing since Christmas Eve, in a field near her home.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as Olmos, according to a release from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Olmos’ mother, Nancy, told police she became concerned when her daughter did not return to their home in the San Antonio area after her usual morning walk.
According to his mother, the family found his cellphone switched off in his bedroom.
Security camera video shows a man matching Olmos searching for an unidentified object inside his car before the clip ends from a camera at a neighbor’s house. Another video provided by someone’s dash camera shows Olmos walking alone on the side of the road, leading authorities to say they have an idea of where she may have gone.
Ultimately, officers found Olmos’ body about 100 yards from his home in a follow-up search of the area. She was intrigued by the first brush, but Salazar credited the help of a “small army” of FBI agents for scouring the area a second time.
The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head; the manner of death was ruled suicide.
Salazar previously said that investigators knew Olmos had had “suicidal thoughts” in the past as well as problems with depression. But law enforcement was determined to explore all possibilities into his disappearance.
“We have to consider all possibilities, from intentional disappearance to the possibility of self-harm to the possibility that someone may have taken her,” Salazar said.
Olmos’ father, Alfonso Mendoza, previously told NBC affiliate WOAI in San Antonio said he was “devastated” by his daughter’s disappearance but was trying to rely on his faith.
“I broke down several times,” Mendoza said. “I still break down when I get home, but I know prayers are keeping me going.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org To access suicide and crisis lifelines. You can also call or visit the network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255. speakingofsuicide.com/resources,
