Family of Texas teen brutally murdered on walk demands answers: 'Hug your loved ones'
Texas teen Kaitlin Hernandez was found brutally murdered under a bridge in her neighborhood two weeks ago, and her family is demanding justice for the "sweet" 17-year-old high schooler.
"The person or persons who did this to my niece, Kaitlin, is still out there, and we just want them to come forward," Hernandez's aunt, Crystal Rodriguez, told Fox News Digital.
Hernandez went on a walk around her San Antonio neighborhood with a male friend around 7:30 p.m. on the evening of March 12, when she vanished.
Hernandez's grandmother expected her to be gone for a half hour to an hour at most after the 17-year-old left for the walk, but when more time passed, she began to worry about the teen and contacted police. Just hours later, San Antonio police found her naked body in a drainage ditch beneath a bridge on the 7600 block of Dell Oak Drive.
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Police detained the friend, whom Hernandez had spent time with before, as a person of interest and has been "cooperating and assisting in the investigation," according to authorities and Hernandez's family. He had not been named or cleared as a suspect at the time of publication.
"At this time, this investigation is still active and ongoing by the SAPD Homicide Unit," San Antonio Police Department spokesperson Ricardo Guzman told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Currently, we have no updates to provide at this time."
The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to Fox News Digital that Hernandez's cause of death was strangulation.
"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 said.
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"She had a lot of goals and a lot of dreams, and they took that from her," Rodriguez continued through tears. "She was loving. She was kind. She was never mean to anybody. I don't know why somebody would do this to her."
Rodriguez said the area where her niece's body was recovered has "a lot of homeless" and "drug activity."
"She loved everybody and she was so sweet. She encouraged everybody. We don't know who could've wanted to hurt her," she said.
The San Antonio community remembered Hernandez during a march on Sunday, starting at the bridge where she was found dead.
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"The message to the public is just, please, if they know anything, just come forward. We want justice. We want peace," Rodriguez said. "And just… hug your loved ones every day because one day, we're here; one day, we might not be."
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Hernandez's aunt also thanked former Republican Texas Rep. Mayra Flores for her help in sharing Hernandez's story.
"I wanted to thank Congresswoman Mayra Flores for taking the time to even talk about my niece's story. She wants to help us get justice, as well," Rodriguez said.
San Antonio Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest in the case.
Hernandez was about to graduate from Roosevelt High School in May. Her 18-year-old sister, Kaylee, died last year.
Any information leading to the identity of this person of interest, please contact the SAPD Homicide unit at 210-207-7635 and provide them with case number SAPD24055687.