SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police announced the arrest of a juvenile in the death of a 17-year-old who was strangled and left in a ditch on the Northeast Side.
Police said his name would not be released because he is under the age of 17, which is the legal adult age for criminal charges.
In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, the family of Kaitlin Elizabeth Hernandez said they have known the suspect for about two or three years, and he lives in the community. Watch the press conference below.
Hernandez was reported missing by her family in the 7600 block of Dell Oak Drive late on March 12. About an hour later, at 12:41 a.m. on March 13, police found her phone and jacket before finding her naked body under a bridge.
At the time, police said she went for a walk with a neighbor, but he returned home without her. That teen was detained for questioning, but police said they did not have enough evidence to charge him until now.
“The DNA was sent to the Bexar County Crime Lab and results indicated the suspect could not be excluded as a suspect in the sexual assault and murder of the victim,” SAPD officials said in a statement.
Police said the teen was arrested based on DNA and other evidence.
Hernandez’s aunt, Crystal Rodriguez, told reporters that her family had known the suspect for years.
“It has affected all of our nieces, nephews, my children mentally, they cannot trust their own friends,” Rodriguez said. “We’re all traumatized by this.”
Rodriguez said the suspect did not appear to be a violent person in the years they knew him. His family has not reached out or attended any vigils, she said.
They said they want Hernandez to be remembered as a smart, loving and caring person who wanted to become a veterinarian. She was planning on attending Palo Alto College.
Related: Family, friends remember 17-year-old girl found dead on Northeast Side