RENTON, WA – On Feb. 26, 54-year-old Reyna Hernandez went missing from her home in Renton, Washington. Her friends reported her absence two days later when she failed to come home from her daily errands and didn’t open her hair salon. According to the Renton Police Department, it appears that Hernandez had been taken against her will.
However, on March 8, the case took an unexpected turn. Detectives were alerted to a story about an unidentified body found in a cemetery near a highway in Mexicali, Mexico.
Based on information provided by Renton Police, Mexican authorities were able to identify the body as that of the missing Renton woman, Hernandez. There was evidence that her hands and feet were both bound, and she also had a gunshot wound to her head. Police noted that there were signs of the woman possibly being tortured prior to her death.
Mexican law enforcement officials apprehended a 61-year-old individual from Renton on unconnected charges. The suspect is currently being held in Mexico, where authorities also discovered Hernandez’s vehicle. The police are treating the case as a possible domestic violence crime.
Renton’s Investigations Commander, Chandler Swain, expressed profound regret on behalf of the police department. He added that they are working in close collaboration with Mexicali police and U.S. Federal partners to pinpoint the time and location of Hernandez’s murder. If proof shows the crime was committed in the U.S., the authorities would aim to extradite the suspect to face charges in the U.S.