Camila Mendoza Olmos, a Texas teenager who mysteriously disappeared from her home early Christmas Eve morning, was not detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar told ABC News. He shared the update saying he wanted to clear it as it was a “personal concern.”
The 19-year-old disappeared after loved ones thought she was going on her regular walk. Camila was last seen outside her San Antonio home just before 7 am on Wednesday, December 24, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office announced. She was last seen wearing baby blue pajama shorts, a black hoodie and white shoes.
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“That was a personal concern. So, I had it checked to make sure that there were no stops, no detentions, and that she’s not somewhere in a federal detention facility. That is something we needed to check,” Salazar said, confirming that the ICE had not detained Camila, even though she is a US citizen.
Camila is believed to be in “imminent danger,” law enforcement officials said on Sunday, December 28, according to the outlet. An unidentified person believed to be the teenager was captured on security camera searching her vehicle for an unidentified item the day she vanished, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators believe she left her house on foot, as her car remained there. She only took her car keys and possibly her driver’s license with her.
The sheriff’s office noted that Camila’s last known location was the 11000 block of Caspian Spring in northwest Bexar County.
FBI joins hunt for Camila Mendoza Olmos
Several agencies have joined the search for Camila, including the FBI, which is providing technical assistance. The Department of Homeland Security is monitoring border crossings and international travel, Salazar said.
“We definitely don’t want to miss anything,” Salazar said. “The ground search is somewhat limited to a couple of square miles. We’re also not ruling out that this case may take us outside the borders of the continental United States.”
Nothing has been ruled out in Camila’s disappearance, Salazar said, including kidnapping, human trafficking and the possibility that she left on her own accord. He added that the teen recently went through a romantic breakup, but authorities believe the split was mutual and do not suspect anything “nefarious” was involved.
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Salazar said that it was unusual for Mendoza Olmos to leave her phone at home. He added that the teen leads an active lifestyle and it’s “highly unusual” that she has not returned.
“That’s why we’re working basically around the clock on this case,” Salazar said.
Anybody with information about Camila’s whereabouts has been urged to call the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at (210)335-6000, or contact the BCSO Missing Persons Unit via missingpersons@bexar.org.