Man, 19, Accused of Killing Girlfriend Alleged She Was Suicidal After Her Body Was Found ‘Stuffed’ Under Their Bed

A Colorado man is awaiting his next court appearance after being charged in connection with the killing of his girlfriend.

Luis Antonio Mendez Hernandez appeared in court on Tuesday, Dec. 30, a day after he was taken into custody as a suspect in the death of a woman at a Frisco residence, according to a Frisco Police Department news release.

The Summit County Coroner identified the woman as Hernandez’s 20-year-old girlfriend, Griselda Amarilis Lopez-Racancoj, Summit Daily reported.

Police said they first learned of the incident shortly after midday on Dec. 29, when they received a call reporting a “medical emergency” at the couple’s Frisco home. Officers arrived and discovered Lopez-Racancoj dead, police said. Investigators then obtained a search warrant as the case moved forward.

Hernandez was arrested on suspicion of murder in the first degree after deliberation, murder in the first degree with extreme indifference, murder in the second degree, and tampering with a deceased human body.

Details of the arrest were included in a court-unsealed affidavit obtained by Summit Daily.

Officers reportedly recognized the residence because they had previously responded to an earlier report at the same location, the outlet said.

In November 2025, Hernandez posted a $20,000 cash surety bond after he was charged with assault and child abuse. Hernandez and Lopez-Racancoj shared a child. An arrest affidavit from that case listed his mother and his girlfriend as the victims, according to the report.

When officers returned to the residence on Dec. 29, residents allegedly told them someone was under a bed, Summit Daily reported, citing the unsealed affidavit. Police then found a white trash bag “stuffed” underneath that allegedly contained Lopez-Racancoj’s dismembered body, according to the report.

Hernandez was detained along with two other men in the apartment while officers interviewed a female witness, Summit Daily reported. The witness said she had not seen Lopez-Racancoj since Dec. 27 and alleged the couple had argued and broken up. She also told investigators that Hernandez had scratch marks on his neck, arms, and chest on the morning of Dec. 29, according to the report.

As the investigation continued, officers reportedly found a steak knife covered in blood in a bedroom closet, along with pillows bearing bloodstain patterns that suggested they “may have been held to a person’s face,” Summit Daily reported, citing the affidavit.

A roommate told investigators they received “strange” text messages from Hernandez claiming Lopez-Racancoj was suicidal the night before she was found, the outlet reported. When asked where she was, Hernandez allegedly refused to say, according to the affidavit cited by Summit Daily.

During a post-Miranda interview, Hernandez told detectives that Lopez-Racancoj was asleep in their bed when he returned home from work around 11 p.m. on Dec. 27. He said he woke up hours later because their child was crying, then found Lopez-Racancoj cold to the touch and “obviously deceased” when he went to lie next to her after feeding the child, according to the affidavit cited by Summit Daily.

He allegedly said he did not attempt CPR or call 911 because he was in shock and feared getting in trouble.

When detectives asked what he believed happened, Hernandez suggested Lopez-Racancoj may have died by suicide and pointed to another man he claimed had been “harassing her,” Summit Daily reported, citing the affidavit. He declined to discuss any injuries she may have suffered and claimed his own scratches were self-inflicted, according to the report.

The Summit County Coroner’s Office has not released Lopez-Racancoj’s autopsy report or her cause of death.

Hernandez allegedly admitted he wrapped Lopez-Racancoj’s body and hid it under the bed, and that he researched what to do next on his phone while considering fleeing to Mexico, Summit Daily reported, citing the affidavit.

He is being held at the Summit County jail on a $5 million cash surety bond set by 5th Judicial District Judge Reed Owens.

The Frisco Police Department and the Summit County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, Jan. 26.