The
Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the remains found in the vehicle as as those of the missing 40-year-old mother. Her cause of death has not been determined
The breakthrough into the case came after investigators found an area that was consistent with a vehicle striking a curb and entering a body of water at the end of the road.
The SUV was pulled out of a pond near the intersection of Reflection Bay and North Clear Lake Loop. Police said it appears the SUV had been in the pond for a while, probably since the night Hernandez was first reported missing three weeks ago, April 18. Police said it appeared that she was the only person inside the vehicle.
Hernandez s cause of death has not yet been determined. (Texas EquuSearch)
Law enforcement agencies and volunteers spent the next several weeks searching for Hernandez.
On Tuesday, police said the FBI shared a tip that led investigators to the pond, where they found evidence that a vehicle likely struck a curb and drove into the water. Details on where the tip came from were not immediately provided.
Investigators believed the SUV was submerged for an extended period of time, likely since the night Hernandez disappeared.
Hernandez’s family gathered at the pond where she was found in the hours after her body was identified, KHOU-TV reported. They’re still seeking answers as to why the mom of three was in Pearland.
First Posted: May 13, 2021 04:04 AM EDT
Photo : Photo by Uriel Mont from Pexels
After going missing for almost three weeks, the remains of a Texas mom were recovered Tuesday by authorities inside an SUV submerged in a Pearland pond.
Erica Hernandez was last seen leaving the house of a friend in southwest Houston at around 2:30 a.m. on April 18. Since then, police and family members have been looking for the 40-year-old Texas mom of three.
According to ABC News, authorities went to search the retention pond in Pearland after receiving information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Kevin Deese, Commander of the Houston Police Department, said the police surveyed the area, and they were able to find evidence suggesting the vehicle struck a curb and went into the water.
A car matching the description of the one belonging to a Texas mother who went missing three weeks ago was found in a pond with a body in it, authorities said Tuesday.
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Erica Hernandez was last seen leaving a friend s house on April 18.
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A car matching the description of one belonging to a Texas mother who went missing three weeks ago was found in a pond with a body inside, authorities said Tuesday.
Erica Hernandez, 40, was last seen leaving a friend s house in southwest Houston in the early morning hours of April 18.