Unburied Corpse Found In Mexico Cemetery Identified As American Missing Woman

Authorities in Mexico reportedly discovered a deceased 54-year-old woman, who had been unaccounted for since February, located within a cemetery adjacent to a highway, according to law enforcement officials.

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According to the Renton Police Department, Reyna Henandez from Renton, Washington, a suburb located roughly 12 miles south of Seattle, vanished from her residence on Feb. 26. Her friends raised the alarm two days later on Feb. 28, after she did not come back home from completing errands and failed to open her hair salon in the Renton Highlands. She was missing for two weeks before her body was found, CBS News reports.

"Over the past several days, detectives have served multiple search warrants and are following up on dozens of leads," the Renton Police said. "A friend reported that he last spoke with Ms. Hernandez on Monday, February 26, between 10:00 and 10:30 am as she was out running errands. She told her friend she was going to a home in South Renton. Evidence recovered in the search warrants indicates that Ms. Hernandez was taken against her will, and we do not believe her car is currently in the area."

Investigators received a pivotal development in the investigation when they became aware of a news report detailing the discovery of an unidentified corpse in a cemetery along the Tijuana Highway on March 8. Subsequently, they reached out to Mexican officials, who furnished sufficient details over the weekend to confirm the identity of Hernandez.

A suspect linked to Hernandez's case was apprehended by Mexican authorities for unrelated offenses. Identified as a 61-year-old resident of Renton, the individual is currently being held in custody in Mexico. Additionally, police reported that law enforcement in Mexico successfully located and retrieved the vehicle belonging to the missing woman.

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Authorities suspect that Hernandez fell victim to a domestic violence incident, although they refrained from disclosing any specifics regarding the suspect's relationship with her. Should investigators ascertain that the crime transpired within U.S. jurisdiction, they intend to pursue extradition proceedings for the 61-year-old individual.

"To have this as the outcome is just devastating," said Meeghan Black of the Renton Police Department to KIRO-7. "It's now gone across country lines, not just state lines but country lines and we were working very well with Mexican officials and we're getting the federal officials involved to try and figure out who takes jurisdiction when we figure out that timeline."