BEXAR COUNTY, TX - In an update to a search for a missing Texas teen, authorities confirmed that a body was found on Tuesday, December 30.
Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, reportedly vanished from her home around 7:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve, the New York Post reported. Her mother said that the teen vanished after going for one of her regular walks around the neighborhood. She was last seen wearing a black North Face sweater with blue accents, baby blue pajama shorts and white shoes, police said.
Cops have not ruled out kidnapping or human trafficking, though they are also investigating the possibility she disappeared of her own volition, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said. "She could have just wanted to get away, gather her thoughts. There is a concern regarding self-harm, so that could be what's going on here ... she may have gone and harmed herself, or she could have been abducted," he added.
"At this point, we're looking at the whole spectrum of possibilities until such a time as some prevailing evidence emerges that leads us one way or the other," Salazar said.
During a press conference on Tuesday, December 30, Salazar said that the medical examiner has yet to confirm the identity of the body that was discovered in a field close to Olmo's home, according to the New York Post. A search by sheriff's deputies and FBI agents revealed that a gun was also recovered near the body.
Salazar said authorities had been looking for a missing firearm belonging to Olmo's relative, though it is not yet clear if it matches the one recovered at the scene.
Officials had previously searched the field, but noted that they decided to scour it again due to high brush in the area. Salazar said it appeared Olmos "was a young person going through a very tough time in her life." He added that authorities have discovered information leading them to believe that the teen was experiencing suicidal ideations and exhibited signs of depression.
She was having a "tough time" with school, work, and a relationship that had recently ended, the sheriff said. The sheriff said he hopes the medical examiner will identify the remains "in the next day or two" and confirm the cause and manner of death.
"We hope we can expedite that process to be able to get the community answers that everybody's been waiting for," Salazar said. On Monday, December 29, authorities released a dashcam video showing someone resembling the missing 19-year-old walking near her home around 7:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve.
Before the dashcam video was released, Olmos was captured on surveillance video around 7:00 a.m. searching her car before leaving her house on foot. She only had her car keys and possibly a driver's license on her when she went missing, with her cellphone left on her bed, police said.
She had made plans to go shopping with her best friend on the day of her disappearance. Her ex-boyfriend, Nathan Gonzales, was also among those to join in on the search of Olmos, telling the local press about the "nightmare" the family is going through.
"Check on people," said Salazar. "Don't take anything for granted ... If you're going through a crisis yourself, reach out and get help."
Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, reportedly vanished from her home around 7:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve, the New York Post reported. Her mother said that the teen vanished after going for one of her regular walks around the neighborhood. She was last seen wearing a black North Face sweater with blue accents, baby blue pajama shorts and white shoes, police said.
Cops have not ruled out kidnapping or human trafficking, though they are also investigating the possibility she disappeared of her own volition, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said. "She could have just wanted to get away, gather her thoughts. There is a concern regarding self-harm, so that could be what's going on here ... she may have gone and harmed herself, or she could have been abducted," he added.
"At this point, we're looking at the whole spectrum of possibilities until such a time as some prevailing evidence emerges that leads us one way or the other," Salazar said.
During a press conference on Tuesday, December 30, Salazar said that the medical examiner has yet to confirm the identity of the body that was discovered in a field close to Olmo's home, according to the New York Post. A search by sheriff's deputies and FBI agents revealed that a gun was also recovered near the body.
Salazar said authorities had been looking for a missing firearm belonging to Olmo's relative, though it is not yet clear if it matches the one recovered at the scene.
Officials had previously searched the field, but noted that they decided to scour it again due to high brush in the area. Salazar said it appeared Olmos "was a young person going through a very tough time in her life." He added that authorities have discovered information leading them to believe that the teen was experiencing suicidal ideations and exhibited signs of depression.
She was having a "tough time" with school, work, and a relationship that had recently ended, the sheriff said. The sheriff said he hopes the medical examiner will identify the remains "in the next day or two" and confirm the cause and manner of death.
"We hope we can expedite that process to be able to get the community answers that everybody's been waiting for," Salazar said. On Monday, December 29, authorities released a dashcam video showing someone resembling the missing 19-year-old walking near her home around 7:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve.
Before the dashcam video was released, Olmos was captured on surveillance video around 7:00 a.m. searching her car before leaving her house on foot. She only had her car keys and possibly a driver's license on her when she went missing, with her cellphone left on her bed, police said.
She had made plans to go shopping with her best friend on the day of her disappearance. Her ex-boyfriend, Nathan Gonzales, was also among those to join in on the search of Olmos, telling the local press about the "nightmare" the family is going through.
"Check on people," said Salazar. "Don't take anything for granted ... If you're going through a crisis yourself, reach out and get help."
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