Authorities in San Antonio are asking for help from the public after a 17-year-old girl from Texas was found unclothed and choked just one hour following her family's report of her disappearance.
According to reports from KHOU 11, the family of Kaitlin Hernandez said she went out for a walk with a male friend in her Northeast San Antonio neighborhood on Tuesday night but never returned home. At around 11:30 p.m., her family called police and reported her missing after her friend claimed he didn’t know where Hernandez was.
Later, a passerby found the girl’s mobile phone in a trench and handed it over to the police.
Officers from the San Antonio Police Department discovered her coat, and then later, at around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, they found a body under a bridge in a drainage ditch on Oak Dell Drive, about half a mile from her home, as reported by CrimeOnline.
Investigators said the officers found the body undressed, with signs of injury. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the identity and said she had been choked.
“I actually saw two males standing next to the ditch shining like a light down there. After a couple of seconds of that. I then heard a female shout “Hey!’” a neighbor told KHOU 11.
“I want to say it was in the ditch. It echoed like it was in the ditch. But then after that it just kind of went quiet.”
SAPD said the man last seen with Hernandez was detained and questioned. The department previously shared a photo of another person of interest but has since identified him. He is reportedly “assisting with the investigation” but no suspects have been arrested.
Crime Stoppers of San Antonio is offering up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is urged to contact 210- 224–STOP.
The story is developing. Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo: Kaitlin Hernandez/Handout via KHOU 11]