Human remains found in a field near the San Antonio home of Camila Mendoza Olmos have been identified as those of the missing 19-year-old, a source told the San Antonio Express-News on Wednesday. Official confirmation from the medical examiner is still pending.
The discovery follows a week-long search after Olmos was reported missing on Christmas Eve.
What authorities have said
Javier Salazar, sheriff of Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, said a body was found Tuesday in a nearby field and appeared to have been there for five or six days.
Investigators also reported that a 9mm pistol was missing from the family’s home around the time Olmos disappeared.
Salazar said authorities uncovered information suggesting Olmos had been experiencing depression and had expressed suicidal thoughts. He said she had been struggling with school, work, and the end of a recent relationship.
“She was a young person going through a very tough time in her life,” Salazar said.
Last known movements
Video footage released by investigators showed Olmos wearing pyjama shorts and a black hoodie as she searched through her car shortly before she was reported missing.
Authorities said she was last seen around 6:58 am on December 24. Surveillance footage showed a woman believed to be Olmos searching her vehicle before leaving on foot with only her car keys and possibly her driver’s license.
Dashcam footage later showed a woman believed to be Olmos walking alone in the dark along Wildhorse Parkway around 7 am.
Search ends in heartbreak
The disappearance prompted a large-scale search involving hundreds of volunteers, Texas EquuSearch, the Youth Peace and Justice Foundation, local deputies, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities used drones, cadaver dogs, and a mobile command center set up at Krueger Elementary School.
Investigators later returned to a nearby field with dense brush, where a body and a firearm were found just yards from Olmos’ home. Clothing found at the scene matched what she was last seen wearing.
Officials said there were no immediate signs of foul play.
Family speaks during days-long search
Father: Alfonso Mendoza
Olmos’ father, Alfonso Mendoza, lives in the same neighborhood and made multiple emotional public appeals during the search.
“Daddy’s waiting for her,” he said in a plea hours before the remains were found.
He described Camila as caring and humble, recalling childhood memories of swimming, biking, and roller skating together. He said she was passionate about fitness, often taking early morning walks, and had hoped to become an orthodontist.
Alfonso said Camila was studying at Northwest Vista College at the time of her disappearance. She was born in Mexico and held dual citizenship in Mexico and the United States, moving to San Antonio from California at around age six.
Mother: Rosario Olmos
Camila lived with her mother, Rosario Olmos, at a home on the 11000 block of Caspian Spring.
Rosario reported her daughter missing after Camila failed to return home and was found to have left her cellphone on her bed. The lack of contact raised immediate concern as hours passed on Christmas Eve.
Investigation ongoing
While the Bexar County Medical Examiner has not yet issued official identification or a cause of death, both authorities and Olmos’ family believe the remains are hers.
Sheriff Salazar said the investigation remains active, but early findings point to mental health struggles rather than criminal involvement.
