SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Over 100 volunteers, family members, and law enforcement officials are broadening the search for 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos, who went missing from her northwest San Antonio neighborhood on Christmas Eve.
As the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security ramp up their efforts, search teams are venturing about four miles from her last known location. Her family, along with numerous volunteers, has come together to expand the search area in hopes of locating her.
Gathering early Sunday at Wildhorse HOA Sports Park, situated near where Mendoza Olmos disappeared, family and friends formed a search team. Organizer Frank Trevino discussed the ongoing search efforts, indicating that the search area is widening as time passes. “We’re nearly four miles away from where she was last seen, focusing on a brushy area related to her route,” he noted.
Utilizing topographical maps, search organizers are marking areas already covered and tracking their progress. A group of volunteers huddled around the map to pinpoint additional zones that might provide clues regarding Mendoza Olmos’s location.
Flyers with her photos and details about her disappearance have been posted on mailboxes, street signs, and utility poles. The FBI is supporting the search efforts, as confirmed by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
On Monday, Sheriff Javier Salazar held a press conference at a mobile command center near the site where Mendoza Olmos was last spotted. He stated that new dashcam footage from a passing vehicle showed a woman, dressed like Mendoza Olmos, walking just two blocks from where she went missing.
Salazar assured reporters that all available resources will be utilized to aid in the investigation. Cadets from the police academy and the mounted detective unit were searching the area that day. He also mentioned that the FBI is helping analyze digital evidence, while the Department of Homeland Security monitors border crossings as part of the investigation into her disappearance.
According to initial information from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Mendoza Olmos was last seen walking away from a residence in the 11000 block of Caspian Spring Road around 7 a.m. Video footage from a nearby home security camera captured a woman, believed to be her, rummaging through a vehicle before the footage ceased.
Authorities suspect that her vehicle remained at the location and that she left on foot, likely taking only her car keys and possibly her driver’s license. Mendoza’s mother reported her missing when she hadn’t returned from what was intended to be a brief morning walk.
Described as petite, she stands 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs about 110 pounds. She was last seen wearing a light blue and black hoodie, light blue pajama bottoms, and white shoes.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has activated a statewide Coordinated Law Enforcement Adult Rescue (CLEAR) Alert to enhance the search efforts for Mendoza Olmos, which remains active. This program aims to aid law enforcement in locating and rescuing missing adults, or those in imminent danger, as well as tracking potential suspects.
