Camila Mendoza Olmos’ family posts heartbreaking message after her death

Camila Mendoza Olmos’ grieving family said the teenager is “with the Good Lord” in a heartbreaking post after she was found dead in a field just 100 yards from her home.

Camila’s family wanted “to give a humble and heartfelt thank you to all the news reporters, police detectives, FBI,  churches, friends, family , and many other communities for your support and prayers” during the frantic, days-long search for the 19-year-old, her aunt Nancy Olmos wrote on social media.

“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,” she added.

Olmos’ body was found beside a handgun near her home outside San Antonio, Texas on Tuesday. She had shot herself in the head, the medical examiner determined.

Officials believe she had been dead for five or six days when she was discovered.

A 9mm pistol belonging to one of her relatives was reported missing around the time of her disappearance, but it’s unclear if the firearm recovered at the scene is a match, according to police.

She is believed to have been showing symptoms of depression and thoughts of suicide after struggling with school, work and a relationship that had recently ended, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said.

Olmos “was a young person going through a very tough time in her life,” he said.

Olmos, who studied Northwest Vista College with goals of being an orthodontist, had last been seen around 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve rummaging through her car, footage shows. She vanished with her car keys and license, but her cell phone was found on her bed.

Her disappearance sparked a massive search, including by her ex-boyfriend, Nathan Gonzales, who described Olmos as an exceptionally “loving person” in an interview with Fox San Antonio.

The search dragged on without any leads as police exhausted all possibilities including human trafficking, warning at one point she could be in “imminent danger.” 

They also considered that Olmos, a US-Mexican dual citizen, may have gone or been taken across the border into Mexico, prompting the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to join the investigation.

A joint team of Bexar County sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents discovered the body beside the handgun around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, the San Antonio Express reported.

Teams had already combed through the field earlier in the search but decided to try again because of the tall grass and heavy brush, Salazar said.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.