San Antonio Teen Strangled, Dumped in Drainage Ditch After "Walk with Neighbor"

a 17-year-old girl is found dead in a. drainage ditch out in Texas with no. arrests nor suspects currently. identified we ask who could have done. this and what is law enforcement doing. behind the scenes we speak with. Detective Eric Barn welcome to sidebar. presented by law and crime I'm Jesse. Weber sad story out of Texas we want to. talk to you about right now 17-year-old. Caitlyn Hernandez a senior at Roosevelt. High School in San Antonio supposed to.

graduate this spring somebody who spent. time with family LED dogs she went for a. walk last week only to wind up dead her. naked body found in a drainage ditch. under a bridge less than a half a mile. from her home apparently a man had found. her phone in that area then law. enforcement respond they find a blue. jacket and then they find her body now. at the time of this recording there have. been no arrests there have been no. official suspects identified the me.

office indicating that Caitlyn was. strangled her Aunt Crystal Rodriguez. told a local media Outlet. KSAT that the family is quote barely. holding up we taking life right now one. minute at a time she wanted to become a. vetenarian you all took her from us too. soon 17 years old all right for that let. me bring on detective Eric Barnes um. just a horrible case and detective. Barnes thanks so much for coming on um. you know the first place that I want to.

talk about here is the male friend so it. has been reported that Caitlyn was. walking with a male friend um this is. before she was killed Caitlyn's family. allegedly saw him later in the day. without Caitlyn and he said he didn't. know where she was apparently he is. cooperating with law enforcement what do. you think that questioning is. like well that uh the questioning with. with this individual is going to be very. intensive um he is the the qu essential.

link to your crime so you have to spend. a lot of time you know just getting down. to details with him the last time they. were together where they were at and if. there was anybody else um involved or or. that was possibly with them do you think. if there was more to his story than it. is initially being reported if they. believe he had a partner it would we. know right now or is law enforcement. going to keep that very close to the. chest I think at this point in. investigation that's something that law. enforcement is going to keep close to.

the chest um you you don't want to jump. the gun in cases like this obviously um. there weren't too many witnesses around. and so they're probably just making sure. they have all their ducks in a row. before they proceed talk to me about the. state in which she was found for me I. think that says something you know the. idea of being found in this drainage. ditch under a bridge close to her home. what do you make of all that well just. given the facts of of how she was found. it gives off the impression that.

something happened and went wrong really. fast then she the fact that she didn't. travel too far away from her home you. know gives you the the idea that um you. know maybe soon after she left her house. she was attacked um the fact that she. doesn't have any clothing on I think. it's a Telltale sign that uh potential. sexual assault is into play and also the. fact that um you know she was found in. the drainage there so the suspect was. trying to cover his tracks very quick. yeah uh unfortunately I think you're.

right about the sexual component there. although we can't confirm it um it. seemed to me though there was an effort. to hide her body but not hide her very. well right I mean you have to it's still. relatively in the open and that would. signify to me that perhaps this is. somebody who didn't have the means or. the opportunity to dispose of her body. in a different way that's correct you. know the the fact that she's hidden uh. so close to her home it it definitely. points out if someone knew they the area.

pretty well um but it also signifies. that maybe at some point in the process. that maybe in in trying to uh to hide. her that maybe it was interrupted you. know maybe a car passed by maybe an. onlooker um distracted them and and they. decided to move on and they didn't take. the phone whoever did this didn't take. the phone left the phone there that's. correct you know sometimes when uh. perpetrators are involved in these. crimes and they're not really thought. out out too well you know you rush you.

know the paranoia of getting caught kind. of interferes with the planning process. and you make. mistakes the um I imagine they're. testing her body as well as the blue. jacket and the phone for what. fingerprints DNA is that what you think. is might be happening behind the. scenes that's correct um DNA is going to. be huge in this case um you want to make. sure that you locate any any parts or. any evidence that may have been touched. by suspect the phone is definitely going.

to be huge but a big uh a big question. mark will be you know the fact that she. was hidden in a ditch if water you know. played a role in cross-contamination or. actually a disturbing evidence so the me. office and this is what it's being. reported um says that she was strangled. but there was no visible signs of trauma. what does that tell you about the uh. killer well it it gives the appearance. that the killer was someone that she. trusted you know typically uh for a.

strangulation to occur someone had to. get close to her and the fact that. there's no physical signs of trauma. would indicate there wasn't a physical. fight or a struggle that took place. leading up to it so it had to be someone. that she trusted enough to let her get. close to her in a position that they. could strangle her without an allout. fight taking place I've covered cases. like this before and a lot of experts. say that strangulation is a very. intimate method of killing someone.

sometimes it shows a level of anger. because it takes a effort to watch. somebody die like that and and again I. can't confirm at this point that the. cause of death was strangulation it. could be that the emy's office uh saw. that she there was a part of her that. was strangled but I don't know if that's. the exact cause of death having said. that strangling somebody I've always. been told is a very intimate way and. says something about the. perpetrator I think so I think with the. strangulation strangulation you know in.

some murders if a knife is used or a. firearm is used you can do that from. some distance but the the closeness that. you have to have with a physical being. to actually physically um cut off their. their breathing and to be close enough. that you actually can feel their their. pulse and to actually feel their skin. while they're taking their their last. breaths you know that is a very intimate. intimate type crime scene so obviously. we have a lot of questions as to what. happened here and who's responsible but. I think there is a through line through.

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said quote I used to live in this area. so I know what you see you don't say but. I'm begging you please please somebody. speak up what do you make of that. statement and how difficult will it be. to get answers from. people well I can tell you one of the uh. one of the biggest misconceptions in. murder investigation is that detective. solved the case uh in my experience. that's not true it's normally the. neighborhood that solves the cases we. can't do our job without the help of the.

public and so um I think that her aunt. was speaking out and just saying that if. there's someone that saw something. please say something because that could. be the link that the police need to make. the arrest and I think it is the the. culture um in some neighborhoods that. people don't get involved with Police. business they they tend to stay closed. off into their own Affairs and they. don't want to get involved with law. enforcement I'll tell you a it's also. being reported that a neighbor who. apparently didn't want to be identified.

wanted to be anonymous um talked about. what she heard that night and the quote. is I actually saw two males standing. next to the ditch shining a light down. there after a couple of seconds of that. I then heard a female shout hey I want. to say it was in the ditch it echoed. like it was in the ditch but then after. that it just kind of went quiet what do. you think about. that well I think uh that's very uh. that's very problematic um in terms of.

just trying to to place a timeline into. uh when it was that she was actually uh. deceased but I think it's also has a lot. of promising upside for law enforcement. because it clearly identifies that. there's multiple witnesses that can kind. of help you piece together the unknown. in this case uh it's possible that those. individuals that were shining the light. could be Persons of Interest that police. need to speak with and the individual. that saw these uh people shining the. light could be potential Witnesses.

so I want everybody to know that um if. you have a tip if you have information. uh you can call Crim Stoppers at 210 224. stop you can also uh text tip 127 plus. whatever tip you have to crimes that's. 2748 37 or you can use the P3 tips apps. in fact Crim Stoppers is apparently. offering a $5,000 reward for information. leading to a felony arrest um detect. Barnes in your experience um a as you.

were saying you encourage anybody with. relevant important information to come. forward but how do does law enforcement. um and investigators sort through all. the tips sort through all the the leads. sort through all the information that. might be coming in about what happened. to. Caitlyn well when the calls come in. investigators typically will work on the. calls as a call by call basis they'll. treat each individual call as its. individual uh piece of the investigation.

they'll work to either verify uh the. factual information left by the caller. or either rule it out saying okay this. is going to be a valid tip or no it's. not and they just take their time with. those tips and I think the anonymous tip. line is a great way especially in. neighborhoods where people may not be uh. very motivated to speak with the police. out front it gives them a Avenue or a. channel for them to reach out because. they don't agree with what happened in. um in their neighborhood as well it's. just a really really sad case um you.

know Caitlyn Hernandez was in the prime. of her life they talked about how she. was about to graduate she meant so much. to her friends and family and for this. to happen is just Unthinkable and um. we're wishing your family the best and. we're hoping for a successful resolution. uh whoever did this will be caught and. held accountable detective Barnes thank. you so much for coming on really. appreciate it thanks for having me all. right everybody that is all we have for. you right now here on this episode of. sidebar thank you so much for joining us.

please subscribe on Apple podcast. Spotify YouTube wherever you get your. podcasts I'm Jesse Weber speak to you. next. [Music]. time.