Camila Mendoza Olmos (Courtesy)
SAN ANTONIO – Authorities have confirmed the body of 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos was recovered near her home.
Mendoza Olmos was last seen on Dec. 24 in northwest Bexar County.
KSAT has been covering this story since Dec. 26, when the Texas Department of Public Safety issued a CLEAR Alert for her. The CLEAR Alert was discontinued on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
Here’s what we know about the case.
Family, friends prepare celebration of life for Camila Mendoza Olmos
The family and friends of Mendoza Olmos are preparing a celebration of life on the first weekend of the new year.
The event will take place from 5 to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Wildhorse Sports Park.
A balloon release will be held at 6:00 p.m.
Body identified as Mendoza Olmos; death ruled a suicide
Mendoza Olmos was last seen at 6:58 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 24, outside of her family home in the 11000 block of Caspian Spring. She was wearing a black North Face sweater with baby blue accents, baby blue shorts and white shoes.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said on Dec. 30 that a body was found during the search for Mendoza Olmos.
On Dec. 31, a week after Mendoza Olmos went missing, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed her identification. Her death was ruled a suicide.
Firearm found near body discovered in search for missing 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos, sheriff says
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A joint team consisting of FBI and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office members went back to a previously searched area when they found the body in tall grass, Salazar said.
The body was found 10 minutes into the search, at the Burnin’ Bush landscaping company a few hundred yards from Mendoza Olmos’ residence. According to Salazar, a firearm was also found near the body.
Graphic depicting the radius of Camila Mendoza Olmos’ home and where a body was found on the afternoon of Tuesday, Dec. 30, during the search for the missing teen. (KSAT)
Salazar said investigators were looking for a family member’s missing firearm. It is still unclear if the recovered weapon is the same one reported missing.
Mendoza Olmos died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Watch the full Dec. 30 news conference below:
WATCH: Bexar County sheriff says body found during search for missing 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos
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The missing person’s report initially included that she is 5 feet 4 inches tall, has brown hair, brown eyes and weighs 110 pounds.
Her phone and all belongings, except her car key, were still at home, including her car. Her friends said she usually went on walks, but also always had her phone with her.
‘It’s not like her’: Friends, relatives continue search for missing Bexar County 19-year-old
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The 19-year-old was believed to be in danger, according to the sheriff’s office. Salazar originally said she had a history of suicidal ideation, but he wanted her to know that there is help.
“She’s got people here that love her very much and are more than willing to help her deal with whatever she may be going through right now,” Salazar previously told ABC News.
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Salazar said Mendoza Olmos recently went through a romantic breakup, but authorities said the breakup was mutual and they don’t suspect anything “nefarious” was involved, saying everyone close to her is cooperating.
Family releases statement after body of Mendoza Olmos recovered
On Wednesday, Mendoza Olmos’ aunt Nancy Olmos shared a family statement in a Facebook post. She thanked the community for its support during the search.
Below is the full statement on behalf of the family:
“In the name of the Olmos family, we want to give a humble and heartfelt thank you to all the news reporters, churches, friends, families, and communities for your support and prayers. Our beloved Camila Mendoza Olmos is now with the Good Lord.
“We kindly ask that you please respect our pain and, most importantly, keep my cousin Rosario — Camila’s mom — and my nephew Carlos — Camila’s brother — in your prayers during this incredibly difficult time.
“Thank you, and God bless you all.”
Business where Mendoza Olmos was found will welcome public to pay respects
Burnin’ Bush, the landscaping company where investigators found Mendoza Olmos’ body, said it would briefly close “out of respect for those involved and for the integrity of the ongoing investigation.”
The company announced the brief closure in a Facebook post and said after the investigation concluded, it will welcome anyone from the public onto the property “to pay their respects.”
“Please keep the family and loved ones in your prayers as they navigate this incredibly difficult time,” the post said.
Video shows pedestrian believed to be Mendoza Olmos
On Dec. 28, the sheriff’s office was made aware of a dashcam video believed to show Mendoza Olmos walking alone around 7 a.m. on Dec. 24 — the morning of her disappearance.
During a Dec. 29 news conference, Salazar said he couldn’t say with “100% certainty” that it is Mendoza Olmos in the video but said the clothing of the person in the video matched her clothing description.
WATCH: BCSO shares video of pedestrian believed to be missing 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos
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The person in the video appeared to be walking out on Wildhorse Parkway and taking a left, Salazar said.
The video was captured from a few blocks from Mendoza Olmos’ home and showed a normal part of her walking route, according to Salazar.
Salazar urged people in the community — including residents in surrounding communities — to check any surveillance footage they had from around 7 a.m. on Dec. 24.
“Let us be the judge whether it’s something usable or not,” Salazar said. “What we don’t want you to do is feel silly calling us and in reality, you’re holding on to something that could help us out with this case.”
Watch the full Dec. 29 news conference below:
WATCH: Bexar County sheriff provides update on search efforts for Camila Mendoza Olmos
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Disappearance prompts multi-agency search efforts
The FBI was involved with digital evidence, including enhancing video, Salazar said.
“We will continue working closely with BCSO to determine whether a federal violation exists and to support their ongoing investigation,” an FBI San Antonio spokesperson told KSAT.
Fifth day of search underway for missing 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was also checking outbound flights and border crossings. Salazar said there was not any direct information to suggest that Mendoza Olmos left the country, but authorities were looking at every possibility.
“We definitely don’t want to miss anything,” Salazar previously said. “The ground search is somewhat limited to a couple of square miles. We’re also not ruling out that this case may take us outside the borders of the continental United States.”
Investigators believed Mendoza Olmos left the home on foot. Salazar also confirmed that Mendoza Olmos was not detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite her being a U.S. citizen.
“Unless we have evidence to show otherwise, we do believe she walked away from her residence,” Salazar said at the Dec. 29 news conference.
Salazar noted there were indications Mendoza Olmos suffered from suicidal ideation and depression in the past.
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“We’ve got to consider all possibilities, from disappearing willfully, to the possibility of self-harm, to somebody may have taken her. … Unfortunately for us, we can’t start narrowing that down until some evidence takes us to that,” Salazar said.
The sheriff’s office had set up a local command post near Mendoza Olmos’ home as the search continued.
‘She was always smiling’
KSAT spoke with Mendoza Olmos’ family members, as they continued their search efforts.
“Your mom is destroyed, but she’s very strong, and we’re going to find you,” Nancy Olmos, Camila’s aunt, told KSAT on Dec. 29. “Even if we had to pick up a rock, we will find you. We will find you, baby. We’re coming to you. Hold tight, fight it, you know God, you know God, so please baby, please, honey pray to God that he will bring you to us.”
Camila’s mother was also present, helping with the search.
Fifth day of search underway for missing 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos
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“It’s not Christmas for me; it’s not for us. It is the most terrible day of my life,” said Rosario Olmos.
Some family members drove 17 hours from California to Texas to help search for her along with more than 100 other people, according to Camila’s dad, Alfonso Mendoza.
“She was always smiling, laughing, loving, saying ‘I love you’ … would give me a kiss on the cheek,” he said.
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Camila’s brother, Carlos Mendoza, flew back into town as soon as he learned his sister was missing on Christmas Eve.
“We’ve been searching on foot within a three-mile radius,” Carlos Mendoza said over the weekend. “I want her to come back.
