Authorities in Texas have issued an urgent warning that a 19-year-old woman who vanished from her home on Christmas Eve could be facing 'imminent danger'. The desperate search for Camila Mendoza Olmos continues, with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security now involved.
Mysterious Disappearance in a Known Trafficking Corridor
Camila Mendoza Olmos was last seen on a neighbour's surveillance camera at 6.58am on Wednesday, 24 December, leaving her home in a suburb of San Antonio. The footage showed an individual believed to be Olmos near her vehicle with its lights on. Crucially, her car was later found still parked at home, leading investigators to believe she left the area on foot.
The location of her disappearance in northwest Bexar County is described by law enforcement as a known human-trafficking corridor, a grim detail that has intensified the investigation. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar stated that while they are considering all possibilities, including that she left voluntarily, the circumstances are deeply concerning.
Key Details and the Search for Answers
Several unusual factors have alarmed both family and police. Olmos did not take her mobile phone, which her mother found turned off on the bed. Sheriff Salazar called this 'highly unusual'. She appears to have taken only her car keys and potentially her driver's licence.
Sheriff Salazar also made a personal point of confirming she was not detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite her being a US citizen. 'I had it checked to make sure that there were no stops, no detentions,' he said. The investigation has since expanded, with authorities not ruling out that the case may lead them outside the continental United States.
Olmos is described as 5ft 4in tall, weighing about 110 pounds. She was last seen wearing a baby blue and black hoodie, baby blue pyjama bottoms, and white shoes.
A Family's Anguish and a Community's Fear
Her childhood best friend, Camila Estrella, revealed they last spoke the day before the disappearance, making plans to go shopping. Estrella recalled Olmos's parting words: 'She said, 'Bye Cami, I love you.'' She described Olmos as 'someone that was just full of love' and said her vanishing act is 'so random'.
Olmos's aunt, Nancy Olmos, issued an emotional online plea, describing her niece as deeply religious and recently baptised. 'As a sister in Christ, I am humbly asking for one special gift this year... please help us by sharing these posts and... lifting Camila up in your prayers,' she wrote.
Her mother, Rosario Olmos, told local media they had been sleeping in the same bed that morning. She awoke 90 minutes after feeling her daughter get up to find her gone. 'I only ask God to please bring her back home,' the devastated mother said. 'Bring her back to me.'
Despite extensive searches by family, friends, and police using scent-tracking dogs, no trace of the 19-year-old has been found. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact police immediately.
