The police have not yet confirmed the identity of the deceased person, who showed “indications” of self-harm and who was found a mile from the house where Camila lived. A firearm was also found next to the body.
Video They find a body near the house of Camila Mendoza Olmos, the Hispanic woman who disappeared on Christmas Day
The authorities of Bexar County, Texas, found a body this Tuesday during the search for young Camila Mendoza Olmos, the 19-year-old girl who disappeared on December 24.
The police have not yet confirmed the identity of the deceased person, who was found a mile from the house where Camila lived, and next to whom a firearm was also found.
“It is too early to say if (the body) is that of this girl, and it is not known if it is a homicide. The medical examiner has to tell us who this person is and how she died,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told Univision Noticias 24/7.
“We were looking for a weapon that disappeared from (the young woman’s) house. We can say that it is known that, with the body, we found a weapon,” confirmed the sheriff, who said he could not give more details about the type of weapon or model.
In a meeting with the press, Salazar revealed that the body found showed “indications” of self-harm. “At this time, we do not suspect foul play,” he said.
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They release a new key recording in the search for Camila Mendoza Olmos
On Monday, authorities had released a new video captured by a dashboard camera, known as a ‘dashcam’, which could show the missing young woman walking alone on a road near her home.
The material, delivered by a driver who was passing through the area, is considered one of the most recent and relevant evidence in the investigation into his whereabouts.
According to authorities, the recording was taken around 7:00 in the morning on December 24, shortly after Camila was last seen.
In the video, a person is seen walking along Wildhorse Parkway, just a few minutes from Camila’s home.
“If it really is her, we think we have a good lead on her route,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told reporters at a press conference Monday night.
Prior to this new discovery, security cameras had captured the young woman checking her vehicle near her house around 6:58 in the morning, before walking away.
The family has noted that Camila left her cell phone behind, a detail that investigators consider unusual and relevant to determining what may have happened.
What are the lines of investigation in the case of the disappearance of Camila Mendoza Olmos?
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the young woman could be in danger, although a clear cause for her disappearance has not been established so far.
However, Salazar told reporters that investigators have “indications of suicidal ideation on the part of this young woman in the past,” as well as “some depression issues.”
But “what young person doesn’t have episodes of depression at some point? We can’t afford to just say, ‘Well, that must be what it is,'” Salazar said.
“We have to consider all possibilities, from a voluntary disappearance to the possibility of self-harm, to the possibility that someone took her,” Salazar added.
The authorities reiterated the call to the community for anyone who has passed through the area to report if they saw the young woman.
While the search efforts continue, family members and volunteers remain hopeful that the dissemination of the new video will help reconstruct Camila’s last movements and clarify her whereabouts.
Video What is known about the disappearance of Camila Mendoza, the young Hispanic woman who went missing on Christmas Eve
