A Seattle area woman who went missing in February was found dead in a cemetery on the side of a highway in Mexicali, Mexico, police in Washington state said.
A suspect in the case, a 61-year-old Renton resident, was arrested by Mexican authorities on charges unrelated to the death of Reyna Hernandez, according to a Facebook statement Monday from the Renton Police Department.
If it is determined that Hernandez was killed in the U.S., authorities would seek to have the suspect extradited, Renton police said, noting that once the manner and time of death are confirmed, detectives can determine if a homicide was committed.
Hernandez, 54, was found dead after the Renton police were alerted to a Mexicali news article Friday about an unidentified body at a cemetery on the Tijuana Highway.
Investigators contacted Mexican authorities and “were able to provide enough information to identify Hernandez,” Renton police said.
Her vehicle was also found in Mexico.
The discovery was made about a week after friends reported Hernandez missing on Feb. 28 when she did not return home from running errands and failed to open her salon in Renton Highlands, police said.
Authorities believe she disappeared from a home two days prior. A friend of Hernandez told police that he last spoke with her on Feb. 26 and she said she was out running errands and was going to a home in South Renton, according to the police department’s initial news release.
Investigators served multiple search warrants and followed up on dozens of leads. Evidence showed that Hernandez “was taken against her will,” police said.
Authorities have released very few details about the case, including how long they believe Hernandez was in Mexico and her connection to the suspect. Renton police said they believe it was a “domestic violence crime.”
“This is the worst possible outcome, and our hearts go out to Reyna’s family and friends,” Investigations Commander Chandler Swain said in a statement.
Swain said they are working with Mexicali police and U.S. federal partners to determine when and where Hernandez was killed.
Renton is a suburb of Seattle located about 12 miles southeast of downtown.
