CA - Anna Hernandez, 14, shot to death, San Diego, 16 Nov 2015 *Arrest*

[Lilibet]

http://www.10news.com/news/sdpd-friend-of-murdered-girl-likely-in-mexico

So Nelly's not considered a missing person, just a juvenile runaway. What a load of $#!& Dang it she's 12 why don't they drop the crap and look for her.

Being classified as a juvenile runaway rather than a missing person is just a semantic technicality that doesn't affect LE's efforts to find her. They certainly are looking for her, especially at her age. Naturally, the fact that she is in Mexico complicates the efforts, but Tijuana and SD police are working together.

This link is from Idaho, but LE handles these cases in a similar way in all states.

http://www.localnews8.com/news/police-runaways-pursued-no-less-than-missing-persons/20734376

This lengthy document containing guidelines in CA has a lot of information about how LE is supposed to handle these cases. It's definitely worth reading.

http://lib.post.ca.gov/Publications/missing.pdf

 

[mrsobrien]

bbm - Just speculating, maybe she's under the spell of the older friend.

It struck me as especially noteworthy that she reportedly used the word "flee" on the phone. Flee from what? The killers? her family? The police?





bbm - Yes that is odd. After 5 days you have a smell, likely earlier, isn't this a warm area there? Maybe she was concealed though. Putting a tarp over a body will hide the smell too for a while.

Here is the weather almanac for that time:http://www.wunderground.com/history...=92102&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999#calendar
If the data doesn't link, you can enter the zip 92102 to get the info.
Yes, warm. Highs being 70s and lows 50+ degrees.

I agree that it's possible that she laid there undiscovered, but I strongly feel like it's just not likely. The residents of the ravine are scavengers, always looking for valuables and recyclables. I feel like any "bundle" would have been investigated by them.

 

[Lilibet]

That's such horse crap, imo. They need to work HARD to find these girls. In cases in SD, I am sometimes reminded of Atticus VanArsedale (?) who was 18 and a voluntary walk away... SDPD pulled out all the stops to find him, even though he did not want to be. SDPD needs to put that much energy, and more, into finding Nelly and Janeth.

I'm sure they are working just as hard for Nelly. Calling her a runaway is a semantic term and not an indication that they are giving up. Please see my post to paparob. Getting upset at LE just distracts from the situation and in most cases is not warranted, in my personal experience. Let's give LE the benefit of the doubt.

 

[kimi_SFC]

This case reminded me of another that I followed at the end of 2013. The 14 year old met an older man online. He came to her school, and she was captured on surveillance getting into his vehicle. Because of this, LE labeled her a runaway, and essentially washed their hands of her (IMO). I'm going to bring my post over, which I wrote after the NCMEC took her poster down. I was really upset. She/they made it to Mexico, where she has extended family. The fact that she made phone contact was enough for authorities here in the U.S. to deem her as "safe," and her mom wasn't able to pursue it any further. Granted we don't know what (if anything negative) she may have been running from. My overwhelming concern was/is that at 14, she wasn't/isn't old enough to make that decision on her own. There are resources here that she could've utilized to work it out. Instead, all we know is that she's apparently across the border, safe (sight unseen). As a mom, everything about this seemed wrong, but maybe that's just me.

originally posted by kimi_SFC: 500 runaways yearly in the Tri-Cities Two local runaways made headlines when police issued Amber Alerts. And now KEPR is digging deeper into the problem with runaways in our community. Elizabeth Romero, 14, is still thought to be in Mexico after fleeing from Kennewick.
More: http://www.keprtv.com/home/video/Runaways-happen-more-than-you-think-240205561.html Active missing persons report - https://mp.waspc.org/index.php?wac=13M0019452

Here's the link to the post & thread:
WA - Elizabeth Romero, 14, Kennewick, 5 Dec 2013

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10148368
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227991



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mrsobrien]

I'm sure they are working just as hard for Nelly. Calling her a runaway is a semantic term and not an indication that they are giving up. Please see my post to paparob. Getting upset at LE just distracts from the situation and in most cases is not warranted, in my personal experience. Let's give LE the benefit of the doubt.

I saw your post, thanks for that! I'm not upset at the officers that are working on this case or any others like it. What concerns me so much I think, is the connection between LE and the media and how it impacts public perception and subsequently the community's involvement in finding them. "Missing" implies far more urgency than "Runaway", kwim?

I've kept an eye on Mike Hastings over the last few years, as well as Chief Zimmerman. They have a history of keeping quiet until there is something concrete to release. I have to trust that they're taking this seriously, even if their efforts are unseen by me.

 

[Lilibet]

I saw your post, thanks for that! I'm not upset at the officers that are working on this case or any others like it. What concerns me so much I think, is the connection between LE and the media and how it impacts public perception and subsequently the community's involvement in finding them. "Missing" implies far more urgency than "Runaway", kwim?

I've kept an eye on Mike Hastings over the last few years, as well as Chief Zimmerman. They have a history of keeping quiet until there is something concrete to release. I have to trust that they're taking this seriously, even if their efforts are unseen by me.

Yes, I get where you are coming from and I agree with you about the public perception and lack of urgency when using the term "runaway." We had the same situation with terminology in our town last year when 17 yo Hannah Thomas-Garner disappeared. After much investigating and efforts in Oregon and CA to find her, LE determined that she had run away. Her father and many locals disagreed and were irate. There were demonstrations in front of the police department and a lot of frustration, which I totally understood. Just because someone runs away doesn't mean they aren't in danger because of something happening later. But I have a lot of trust in our local LE as those who were on that thread will remember. Local LE had to spend a LOT of time dealing with upset locals, which can take away from other cases. Hannah finally called her father after over three months. She was safe and indeed had run away. Local LE had made the correct call. Her wonderful Dad ended up making a public apology to the local PD...class act all the way. I only tell this story to explain why I'm inclined to give LE the benefit of the doubt in these cases. Many of them are fathers, and I do believe they take the plight of runaways seriously.

The problem LE faces is that there are many runaways and missing children/adults. They have limited resources and have to prioritize based on evidence of danger. It sounds cold, but I'm sure it's hard for LE to make these judgement calls. In Nelly's case, there is her threat to go deeper into Mexico that they have to consider. I'm glad I'm not in LE's shoes!
JMO, MOO

 

[Curious Me]

Coverage by the Daily Mail, including video. In the video, the reporter says he asked Anna's family if they want her killer caught. They replied "What's the point. It won't bring Anna back." We don't often or ever see such a feeling of resignation. It almost seems as if they know who did it and don't want to be in danger themselves...or maybe they're just numb. So sad.
MOO

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ment-building-12-year-old-friend-missing.html

This is just my own opinion, so I'm throwing in a lot of cows.

Yes, what is with this "what's done is done" attitude because it is not done. Somebody killed Anna, she was found in what is practically Nelly's backyard, and it is not over with. Anna lost her life at the hands of someone, and Anna deserves Justice.

Nelly is still missing and her mother says she just wants her home, but this is not something that is going to be done and over. Something very serious happened. Nelly needs to be found. I don't think she is staying away by choice.

:cow:

As I listen and read about this case and the still missing girls, I can't help but feel there's FEAR throughout the families and community that may look like resignation.

:cow:

People want to say LE handled other cases in more affluent SD areas differently, better, but that doesn't seem true. There seems to be a lot of fear and no snitching attitudes that make the investigation process harder for LE, but it's JMO.

:cow:

My prayers go out to Anna's Family dealing with their loss. She was an absolutely beautiful young woman and she deserves Justice. Whoever killed her must be caught!

 

[Lilibet]

Yes, fear and no snitching are common in high crime areas, leading to unsolved cases. I follow a number of Humboldt county missing persons threads here. Because of illegal marijuana growing, no one speaks. LE can't get enough information to solve these cases. At least the missing people in those cases aren't children. Most were involved with "the trade" themselves.

If the families of Anna and Nelly and Janeth are undocumented that adds another reason for silence and keeping LE at arm's length...if that is what is actually happening.

Lots of MOOing going on here too!

I hope Anna's killer is found. This shouldn't have happened to any young girl. Her family is in my prayers.

 

[Curious Me]

Saw a neighbor on the news complaining maybe this case isn't getting the full attention of LE or she feels she's not getting enough of the details because it isn't in the right neighborhood. I don't think that's true. Just to point out if everyone in a community wants to mind their own business and not snitch then it makes LE's job harder.

You brought up some instances why people might not want to talk to LE, and I could come up with a few more. Sometimes people don't trust LE enough. It's not good to have a bunch of unsolved crimes, and have people look the other way while children go missing or get killed.

Some of Anna's young friends that I've seen on the news look stunned, shocked, and afraid by her death. What kind of future will all children have in a no snitch environment when crime is rampant?

Somebody knows more and I hope they trust LE enough to share it with LE.

Whoever beat and shot Anna is still out there and certainly they could kill another young person again.

 

[coastal]

This is NOT a park I'd allow my kids to hang out in. That's in the Barrio Logan area. There's a Gangland episode dedicated to that area, I'll leave it at that. :-/

Mrsobrien, I believe you are thinking of Chicano Park, which is also in Barrio Logan, and does have a terrible reputation. It also has a rich history, and some amazing murals:

http://www.chicanoparksandiego.com/history/page1.html


>>>snip

...An artist by the name of Salvador Torres was in attendance that evening. In his speech. he expressed his vision of local] Chicano painters and sculptors turning the bridge pylons '`into things of beauty, reflecting the Mexican-American culture. We are ready to die." In response, young people at the meeting began to stamp their feet in rhythm, shouting "Viva la raza!" one young man, identifying himself only as a student at San Diego State, directed his statement to city officials:

The word culture is used. To you culture means Taco Bell and the funny Mexican with-, the funny songs. We gave you our culture of a thousand years. What have you given us? A social system that makes us beggars and police who make us afraid. We've got the land and we are going to work it. We are going to get that park. We no longer talk about asking. We have the park.

During the occupation of Chicano Park, the three-acre parcel was transformed into a desert garden of plants and grass. Chicano youth and student organizations from Santa Barbara and Los Angeles traveled to Barrio Logan to offer their support. Women prepared meals for the demonstrators, while others donated trees, seeds, and fertilizer. The occupation represented the first time in which residents had come together in unity for themselves and their community. ........As the park was being transformed, city officials were searching for available land adjacent to freeways, which would be suitable for a highway patrol station If such a site could be found.. the city would then trade it to the state for the occupied site in Barrio Logan...

(article continues, with pictures/virtual tour)

<<<snip

There is also a Memorial Park, which has a skate park and a pool:

http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/centers/recctr/dolores.shtml

The article I read said that Nelly hung out at Memorial Park, IIRC, which makes more sense to me. I don't know any of these girls, but there is a 15 yo boy in my extended family who loves to skate and ride mountain bikes, and who spends all summer at the (different) pool. Chicano park has lots of adults who live under the bridges in tents, who hang out there by day, and lots of crime. But, the skate park is usually full of kids, and I've never heard anything bad about it. Yet. So, maybe these girls were just...being girls, and not necessarily looking for trouble.

MOO, and I hope nobody minded a little history lesson!

 

[Lilibet]

This information about Anna being sexually assaulted in September in a nearby neighborhood is new to me. Two juveniles were arrested. Could Anna's murder be revenge?

Regarding the statements by her sister that police said they couldn't do anything...I will continue to assume LE followed procedures correctly until there is more information (ETA: more info in next post). I think SDPD needs to do another press conference to clear this up. JMO

Sources close to the investigation confirmed Wednesday that Anna was sexually assaulted on Sept. 21 in Mountain View. Two male juveniles were taken into custody for the alleged violent attack.
According to Anna&#8217;s family members, there were more people involved in the assault. Her family says they knew something was wrong when Anna disappeared Nov. 13 and feel baffled as to why police never responded to their missing person crisis.
Anna&#8217;s sister, Miriam Yocupicio, said she received a distress call from Anna the day she went missing, but was unable to convince police she was in danger and needed to be found.&#8220;I called the police&#8230;Nobody came to the house,&#8221; she said.
She said she felt helpless when investigators told her, &#8220;they couldn&#8217;t do anything because they&#8217;re considering it a runaway.&#8221;

http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/11/25/family-of-murdered-teen-seeks-answers/

 

[Lilibet]

According to the SDPD website, a runaway juvenile or missing adult "who does not need special care" is considered a non-emergency. This explains the response by SDPD to Anna's sister described in the post above. It is very frustrating to families. I also understand why SDPD has to prioritize its limited staff and resources. It's become clear to me, following many missing person cases, that families have to be on the front lines working to find their missing loved one. LE can only do so much, as distressing as that fact is. But my understanding of LE procedures regarding runaways in other places differs from this, so I will need to do a little more research.

The SDPD response to non-emergency calls will depend on:

• the relative seriousness or priority of the situation;
• the likelihood of making an arrest at the scene; and
• the availability of an officer.

Response times are the longest for so-called "cold crimes" like home burglaries where the perpetrator has fled the scene, no suspects exist and the victim is in no further danger.
Some example situations that may not be emergencies are:

• home and business burglaries in which the suspect is gone from the scene;
• open or broken doors or windows in businesses or homes, especially if the business is closed or the residents are away;
• stolen checks and credit cards -- also call the financial institutions involved to have them stop payments of checks and verifications of charges;
• impersonation and stolen identification, e.g., drivers license;
• auto theft and vandalism;
• hit and run accidents with no injuries;
• minors violating curfew;
• loud parties -- the person calling must be willing to sign a complaint;
• road hazards that don't require immediate attention;
• past instances of graffiti or other vandalism;
• past instances of child or elder abuse;
• runaway juvenile or missing adult who does not need special care;
• car or building alarms;
• underage drinking;
• accumulations of consumer goods, especially in good condition and not in use in homes, garages, and storage areas.

BBM

http://www.sandiego.gov/police/services/nonemergencies.shtml

 

[Lilibet]

I did a little more digging about how SDPD handles reports of missing adults and runaway juveniles. If the runaway or missing person does not "require special care" it is considered a non-emergency. :gaah: Anna's sister reported her missing/runaway and says SDPD said they couldn't do anything. As frustrating as this is, I can understand the need to prioritize LE resources. But this is not what I have read concerning procedures for runaways in other locations, so I will do a little more digging.

http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/11/25/family-of-murdered-teen-seeks-answers/

Here is the link to the information I posted on Anna's thread.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...ound-18-November-2015&p=12211374#post12211374

 

[Lilibet]

Here is a statement from a procedures manual for California LE dealing with missing persons (page viii):

"Officers should assume that the missing person is in immediate danger or at risk until the facts contradict that assumption."

Since a juvenile running away is not illegal in most states, it seems that SDPD does not consider a runaway to be automatically at risk (although most parents would disagree). So I guess it would be better to report a teen as "missing" and "in danger" in order to get immediate action. But what frantic parent understands the technicalities?

Many people are under the mistaken impression that you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing. We don't know if this was the case with Anna's family. Nor do we know how the family worded the initial report. We don't know if Anna was already dead by the time the report was made, but because of Anna's "distress call" her family may have called immediately. It's a tragedy no matter how the reporting played out.

http://lib.post.ca.gov/Publications/missing.pdf

ETA: Yet another statement on the subject of missing persons. This from the office of the CA Attorney General.

There is NO waiting period for reporting a person missing. All California police and sheriffs' departments must accept any report, including a report by telephone, of a missing person, including runaways, without delay and will give priority to the handling of the report.

Bolded and underlined by me.

https://oag.ca.gov/missing

 

[Lilibet]

I did a little more digging and here is the information I posted on Anna's thread.

Here is a statement from a procedures manual for California LE dealing with missing persons (page viii):

"Officers should assume that the missing person is in immediate danger or at risk until the facts contradict that assumption."

Since a juvenile running away is not illegal in most states, it seems that SDPD does not consider a runaway to be automatically at risk (although most parents would disagree). So I guess it would be better to report a teen as "missing" and "in danger" in order to get immediate action. But what frantic parent understands the technicalities?

Many people are under the mistaken impression that you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing. We don't know if this was the case with Anna's or Nelly's families. Nor do we know how the families worded the initial report. We also don't know what SDPD did upon receiving the report. JMO

http://lib.post.ca.gov/Publications/missing.pdf

ETA: Here is a statement regarding missing person reports from the CA Attorney General's office:

There is NO waiting period for reporting a person missing. All California police and sheriffs' departments must accept any report, including a report by telephone, of a missing person, including runaways, without delay and will give priority to the handling of the report.

Bolded and Underlined by me

https://oag.ca.gov/missing

 

[Curious Me]

This information about Anna being sexually assaulted in September in a nearby neighborhood is new to me. Two juveniles were arrested. Could Anna's murder be revenge?

Regarding the statements by her sister that police said they couldn't do anything...I will continue to assume LE followed procedures correctly until there is more information (ETA: more info in next post). I think SDPD needs to do another press conference to clear this up. JMO



http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/11/25/family-of-murdered-teen-seeks-answers/

Oh no! It makes me very sad to hear that happened to Anna. There's such sorrow in this case.

Now I am even more convinced that there's some people out there who can provide LE with info and names. I say names because now I'm starting to think maybe there isn't one person responsible, but possibly members of some gang.

No wonder her family might feel helpless. I can understand the resignation that might feel now.

Praying for Anna and her Family.

 

[Curious Me]

After reading what happened to Anna in September, it opens a whole new can of worms.

I can imagine Nelly wanting to stay away from home due to some danger or threat. Whatever is going on seems like too much ugly for a 12 yr. old girl to be facing. That's just my opinion. Worried for her.

Praying for Nelly and her Family.


http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/11/25/family-of-murdered-teen-seeks-answers/

 

[Lilibet]

After reading what happened to Anna in September, it opens a whole new can of worms.

I can imagine Nelly wanting to stay away from home due to some danger or threat. Whatever is going on seems like too much ugly for a 12 yr. old girl to be facing. That's just my opinion. Worried for her.

Praying for her and her Family.


http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/11/25/family-of-murdered-teen-seeks-answers/

Yes, the sexual assault of Anna in September puts a whole new light on Nelly wanting to stay away. If she was at all involved in identifying the two juveniles who were arrested, or even just knows who else was involved, she could be in danger. She may have been with Anna when she made the "distress call" before she disappeared and was killed. Poor kid. Prayers for one and all.

 

[coastal]

Anna was raped on 9/21/2015 - possibly gang-raped, according to her family. Two male juveniles were "taken into custody":

http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/11/25/family-of-murdered-teen-seeks-answers/

Family of murdered teen seeks answers
POSTED 8:35 PM, NOVEMBER 25, 2015, BY JAIME CHAMBERS, UPDATED AT 11:02PM, NOVEMBER 25, 2015

>>>snip

...Sources close to the investigation confirmed Wednesday that Anna was sexually assaulted on Sept. 21 in Mountain View. Two male juveniles were taken into custody for the alleged violent attack.

According to Anna&#8217;s family members, there were more people involved in the assault. Her family says they knew something was wrong when Anna disappeared Nov. 13 and feel baffled as to why police never responded to their missing person crisis...

<<<snip

Google map to Mountain View (1.8 miles from Nelly's last seen; 37 minutes walking, 5/car, 38/bus):

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Mou...dff10e491e4aa!2m2!1d-117.1212912!2d32.7118435

This is not a good part of town, IMO. Locals know it as Southeast SD, and a very scary place. IMO

 

[cvaldez1975]

This whole thing is starting to smack of gang related