What happened to Kaitlin Hernandez? Person of interest arrested as Texas teen found dead in a ditch

In a press release on Friday, March 15, 2024, the San Antonio police department said they have a person of interest in custody in the case of 17-year-old Kaitlin Hernandez, who was found nude and strangled beneath a bridge in a drainage ditch on Oak Dell Drive.

Hernandez, a Roosevelt High School senior, was reported missing on Tuesday, March 12, after she went out for a walk with a male friend in her Northeast San Antonio neighborhood on Tuesday night but never returned home. Shortly after, a passerby discovered the teen’s cell phone in a ditch and turned it over to the police, who located her jacket in the area.

Late Tuesday night, police located her naked body with signs of trauma, beneath a bridge in a drainage ditch half a mile from her residence. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the victim was strangled.

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SAPD says person of interest in Kaitlin Hernandez's murder is "cooperating" with investigation

Shortly after the discovery, San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) said they questioned the male friend last to see the victim on Tuesday night when they went for a walk. The male friend was released, but police named another unidentified person of interest in the case. At the time, in a press release, police said:

“Any information leading to the identity of this person of interest, please contact the SAPD Homicide unit at 210-207-7635 and provide them with the case number SAPD24055687.”

While the identity of the person of interest was undisclosed, a neighbor told KHOU 11:

“I saw two males standing next to the ditch shining like a light down there. After a couple of seconds of that. I then heard a female shout “Hey!’”

In a press release on Thursday, police enlisted the public’s help in locating a person of interest in connection to Kaitlin Hernandez’s murder.

On Friday, SAPD announced they had the person of interest in custody and noted they were "cooperating and assisting in the investigation." However, police have not announced the arrest of suspects in the case.

Meanwhile, the devastated family of Kaitlin Hernandez urged people to come forward with information on the case. The teen’s aunt, Crystal Rodriguez, told KSAT:

“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."

In a GoFundme campaign, Rodriguez revealed her niece, who aspired to become a veterinarian, was set to graduate from Roosevelt High School in May. The fundraiser, initiated to render financial assistance to the family, had raised over $5,000 at the time of writing this article.