A Texas teenager who has been missing since Christmas Eve was last seen leaving her home that morning and is believed to be in “imminent danger,” law enforcement officials said Sunday.
An unidentified person believed to be Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19, was captured on security video around 7:00 a.m. Wednesday searching her vehicle for an unidentified item, according to a statement from Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said they believe Mendoza Olmos left the residence on foot as his vehicle remained there and the only items he took were his car keys and possibly his driver’s license.
This photo released by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office shows 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos. She was last seen searching her vehicle for an unidentified object, according to video from early Wednesday morning. Investigators believe she left the residence on foot as her vehicle remained there.
Bexar County Sheriff’s Office
His last known location was the 11000 block of Caspian Spring in northwest Bexar County, the sheriff’s office said.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told ABC News on Sunday that sheriff’s deputies and volunteers have been searching around the clock for Mendoza Olmos.
Multiple agencies have joined the search, including the FBI, which is providing technical assistance, and the Department of Homeland Security, which monitors border crossings and international travel, Salazar said.
“We definitely don’t want to miss anything,” Salazar said. “The ground search is somewhat limited to a couple of square miles. We also do not rule out that this case could take us outside the borders of the continental United States.”
Salazar said investigators have not ruled out anything in the teen’s disappearance, including kidnapping, human trafficking and the possibility that she left of her own free will.
Salazar said Mendoza Olmos recently went through a romantic breakup, but authorities said the breakup was mutual and they do not suspect anything “nefarious” was involved, saying everyone close to her is cooperating.
Olmos was last seen wearing a light blue and black hoodie, light blue pajama pants, and white shoes.
“Camila’s mother stated that Camila normally goes for a morning walk; however, she became concerned when Camila did not return within a reasonable period of time,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Salazar confirmed that Mendoza Olmos was not detained by the US. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite being a US citizen.
“That was a personal concern. So I had it checked to make sure there were no stops, no detentions, and that she wasn’t somewhere in a federal detention center. That’s something we needed to check,” Salazar said.
Salazar noted that it was unusual for Mendoza Olmos to leave his phone at home, saying that he leads an active lifestyle and that it is “very unusual” that he has not returned.
“That’s why we’re working basically around the clock on this case,” Salazar said.
While Salazar did not reveal some details of Mendoza Olmos’ disappearance, he said there is enough information to suggest that he is in “imminent danger.”
Salazar asked the community for help in the search, asking residents of Mendoza Olmos to check their surveillance cameras for images of the teenagers.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at (210) 335-6000 or the BCSO Missing Persons Unit at missingpersons@bexar.org.
