A body has been discovered near the home of Camila Mendoza Olmos, the 19-year-old who vanished after leaving her family’s Texas residence early on Christmas Eve.
During a news briefing on Tuesday, Dec. 30, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said authorities located a body in a field “very close” to Olmos’ home while conducting an intensive search just hours earlier. Salazar emphasized that it was still too early to confirm the individual’s identity, though investigators do not currently suspect foul play.
Salazar said one line of inquiry has been the possibility of self-harm, noting that there were indicators suggesting the body may be connected to that scenario. He also said investigators had learned of previously “undiagnosed” signs of depression.
“From what has been described to us, it sounds like a young person going through a very difficult period in her life, dealing with emotional challenges,” Salazar said. “There were some indicators of suicidal ideation.”
The medical examiner will be responsible for confirming the identity of the body, as well as the official cause and manner of death, Salazar added.
Camila was last seen around 6:58 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 24, when she left her family’s home in the 11000 block of Caspian Spring in northwest Bexar County, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
In the days following her disappearance, multiple agencies — including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security — joined the search efforts, Salazar previously told ABC News on Dec. 28. At that time, he said investigators had enough information to believe Camila could be in “imminent danger.”
“We definitely don’t want to miss anything,” Salazar told ABC News. “The ground search is somewhat limited to a couple of square miles, but we’re also not ruling out that this case could take us outside the borders of the continental United States.”
Security footage from the family’s home reportedly shows a person believed to be Camila around 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve, appearing to search for something in her car. Investigators believe she then left the home on foot, carrying only her car keys and possibly her driver’s license, ABC News reported.
Authorities explored several possibilities in the investigation, including kidnapping, human trafficking, or the chance that Camila left voluntarily. Salazar said her family and loved ones have been fully cooperative throughout the process.
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Camila’s mother, Rosario, previously told KENS that she and her daughter had been sleeping in the same bed when she felt Camila get up. About 90 minutes later, Rosario woke to find her daughter gone.
Camila’s car remained parked at the home, and when Rosario called her daughter’s phone, she discovered it had been left behind on the bed. Rosario told KENS that Camila often went for early-morning walks, leading her to initially believe she would find her nearby.
“I put it to charge and went out to look for her,” Rosario said. “I thought I would find her like other times, walking, and we would come home together.”
Salazar later told ABC News that Camila leaving her phone behind was “highly unusual” and one of the reasons authorities have been working “around the clock” on the case.
Investigators also confirmed that Camila had recently gone through a mutual breakup, though Salazar said it was not believed to be a significant factor in her disappearance. Rosario contacted Camila’s boyfriend and father shortly after realizing she was missing; both said they had not seen her, prompting Rosario to contact police.
Salazar added that Camila, a U.S. citizen, was not detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security’s involvement has been limited to monitoring any potential border crossings or international travel connected to the case.
