The Daily Populous Thursday January 1st, 2026 morning edition
Authored by nbcnews.com and submitted by fetustasteslikechikn

Texas officials confirmed Wednesday that they had found the body of Camila Mendoza Olmos, the 19-year-old who has been missing since Christmas Eve, in a field by her home.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body as Olmos', the Bexar County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Olmos' mother, Nancy, told police she grew worried when her daughter didn't return to her San Antonio-area home after her normal early morning walk.

The family found her cellphone turned off in her bedroom, her mother said.

Security camera video showed a person matching Olmos looking inside her car for an unidentified item before the clip from the neighbor's home camera ended. Another video provided by someone's dash camera appeared to show Olmos walking by herself on the side of a road, which authorities said gave them a direction of where she may have gone.

Ultimately, authorities found Olmos' body roughly 100 yards from her home on a follow-up search of the area. She had previously been obscured by brush, and Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar credited the help of a “small army” of FBI agents to scour the area a second time.

The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head, with the manner of death ruled a suicide.

Salazar previously said investigators were aware that Olmos had "suicidal ideations" in the past, as well as issues with depression. But law enforcement was committed to exploring all possibilities in her disappearance, he said.

"We've got to consider all possibilities, from disappearing willfully, to the possibility of self-harm, to somebody may have taken her," Salazar said.

Alfonso Mendoza, Olmos' father, previously told NBC affiliate WOAI of San Antonio that he was “devastated” over this daughter's disappearance but was trying to lean on his faith.

"I broke down a couple times," Mendoza said. "I still break when I got home, but I know it's the prayers are holding me down."

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.

NoRecommendation9404 on January 1st, 2026 at 03:20 UTC »

Talk to your kids about suicide. My sons are 35, 23, and 15. I’ve talked to each of them at about ages 14-15. I just talked to my youngest about it 2 weeks ago. I always tell them there is nothing they could ever tell me that would make me love them less and there is nothing I can’t help them with.

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem - there is hope; there are people who care.

Chill-more1236 on January 1st, 2026 at 01:02 UTC »

I have a son her age. Parents must be devastated.

Anybody young reading, hard times can flip so fast to the good.

Don’t give up hope for a bright future for yourself.

A1sauc3d on January 1st, 2026 at 00:46 UTC »

> The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head, with the manner of death ruled a suicide … investigators were aware that Olmos had "suicidal ideations" in the past, as well as issues with depression. But law enforcement was committed to exploring all possibilities in her disappearance, he said.

> "We've got to consider all possibilities, from disappearing willfully, to the possibility of self-harm, to somebody may have taken her," Salazar said.

For anyone curious about cause of death. Seems to be a suicide. Very sad 😔