The body found in the search for Texas teenager Camila Mendoza Olmos, who went missing on Christmas Eve, has been identified as the 19-year-old.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said on Wednesday that the teenager had died by suicide.
Mendoza Olmas left her home in San Antonio on foot last Wednesday morning, sparking a massive search. Her body was ultimately found close to her house.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar had announced on Tuesday that authorities found the body earlier that day in a field about “a few hundred yards” from Mendoza Olmas’ home, but cautioned at the time that it was “too early to tell” if it was the missing teen.
Salazar said investigators don’t suspect foul play at this time, adding “there are some indicators” of possible self-harm.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office released footage believed to show Mendoza Olmas walking on Wildhorse Parkway near her home at around 7 a.m. local time on the day she vanished. It was the last confirmed sighting of the missing teen.
There were several descriptions of clothing Mendoza Olmas may have been wearing and the clothing on the discovered body was “very similar” to one of those descriptions, Salazar said.
Salazar said police had already checked the area where the body was found but “due to tall grass, we felt that there would be a benefit to checking the area once again,” adding that the body was found about 10 minutes into the search.
There was a missing firearm that belonged to a relative of Mendoza Olmas, and a firearm was found near the body, according to the sheriff. Authorities are yet to determine if the recovered weapon is the same that went missing.
Salazar went into detail about Mendoza Olmas’ mental health history.
“There may have been some suicidal ideations on Camila’s part before. Some signs of depression, undiagnosed as far as we can tell. But, from what’s being described to us, it sounds like it was a young person going through a very tough time in their life,” the sheriff said.
Salazar later added: “She was having a tough time with school, with work, with a relationship that had recently ended,” calling it “heartbreaking” to learn about the problems she was dealing with.
“I use this as an opportunity to remind everybody out there, whether you got kids this age or even well into adulthood, check on people and don’t take anything for granted,” the sheriff said. “If you are going through a crisis yourself, reach out and get help.”
If you or anyone you know has been struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8.
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