Natalie Chavez's aunt:' What kind of a sick person would do that?'

Johnny Avalos charged with sexual assault of a child, suspected in other attacks

SAN ANTONIO – The man charged with sexually assaulting Natalie Chavez, 15, whose body was found under a West Side bridge in December, is now a person of interest in her death.

Chavez's family members said the arrest brings them a small bit of relief.

Chavez's step-aunt, Nina Zavala, describes the last five months as a nightmare.

"Just horrible. Like, hurt, sadness," she said.

Chavez's body was found under a bridge at Vera Cruz and South Zarzamora Street on Dec. 18. An autopsy revealed she had been strangled.

"It's horrible," Zavala said. "What kind of a sick person would do that?"

Tests also found foreign DNA on her body, which has now been linked to Johnny Avalos, 28. Police arrested Avalos Tuesday night for sexual assault of a child. Detectives suspect he is also the person who took Chavez's life, but are still working to put together the case.

Avalos admitted to having sex with Chavez for a predetermined amount of money, but he claimed he didn't know her age. He has not confessed to the murder, but Zavala says any arrest gives her family a glimmer of hope for justice.

"We were worried that they wouldn't have caught anybody and now that they have it's like, wow. It's a good thing," Zavala said.

Avalos is also the main person of interest in two other violent incidents involving young women on the South Side, just blocks away from each other. One led to the death of a woman on Presa Street and the other left a woman critically injured.

Chavez's grandmother welled with emotion as she talked off-camera with KSAT about all the violence. She hopes detectives are able to connect the dots and charge the right people with these crimes, soon.


About the Author:

Courtney Friedman anchors KSAT’s weekend evening shows and reports during the week. Her ongoing Loving in Fear series confronts Bexar County’s domestic violence epidemic. She joined KSAT in 2014 and is proud to call the SA and South Texas community home. She came to San Antonio from KYTX CBS 19 in Tyler, where she also anchored & reported.