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Crime Stoppers offers reward for tips after 17-year-old girl found dead, strangled in ditch

Crime Stoppers is willing to pay up to $5,000 for info leading to an arrest in death of Kaitlin Elizabeth Hernandez

Photos of Kaitlin Elizabeth Hernandez provided by her family. (Copyright 2024 by KSAT - All rights reserved.)

SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police and Crime Stoppers are asking for the public’s help in searching for the person responsible for the death of 17-year-old Kaitlin Elizabeth Hernandez.

Hernandez was strangled and found dead in a ditch in the 7600 block of Dell Oak Drive late Tuesday.

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On Thursday, Crime Stoppers announced it is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to a felony arrest.

Tips can be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP, texting “Tip 127 plus your tip” to CRIMES (274637), or using the P3 Tips app. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

To be eligible for the reward, tips must be submitted directly to Crime Stoppers.

San Antonio police found Hernandez’ body when they were called to Dell Oak for a report of a missing person at around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Upon arrival, officers searched the area and found her phone and jacket before finding her naked body under a bridge.

Her body had signs of trauma and she was pronounced dead at 12:41 a.m. Wednesday. Her death was ruled a homicide.

According to police, she went for a walk with a neighbor on Tuesday evening but when he returned a few hours later, she wasn’t with him.

The man she was with, who is said to be a neighborhood friend, was detained for questioning.

Early Wednesday morning, SAPD released an image of a different “person of interest” on their Facebook page.

On Thursday, SAPD said the man had been identified and was cooperating. The man’s image was taken off SAPD’s social media accounts and a spokesperson advised media to also take down the images.

The investigation into the death is ongoing.


About the Authors
Sarah Acosta headshot

Sarah Acosta is a weekend Good Morning San Antonio anchor and a general assignments reporter at KSAT12. She joined the news team in April 2018 as a morning reporter for GMSA and is a native South Texan.

Santiago Esparza headshot

Santiago Esparza is a photojournalist at KSAT 12.

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