A haunting surveillance image may be the last clue in the disappearance of a 19-year-old Texas woman who vanished without a trace on Christmas Eve in an area long flagged as a human trafficking corridor.
Camila Mendoza Olmos was last seen around 6:58 a.m. Wednesday outside her home in northwest Bexar County, on the outskirts of San Antonio.
The region has repeatedly been identified by authorities as a hotspot for trafficking activity.
Footage from a neighbor’s security camera shows an individual believed to be Camila standing near her vehicle with the lights on.
Investigators say she appeared to search inside the car for an unknown item. Moments later, the video cuts out. She has not been seen since.
Her car remained parked at the home, leading deputies to believe she left the area on foot.
That detail immediately raised alarms.
Family members say Camila routinely went on morning walks but always carried her phone. This time, her phone was found turned off and left behind in her bedroom.
Authorities say the only items she may have had with her were her car keys and possibly her driver’s license.
A CLEAR Alert has now been issued as more than 100 people joined the desperate search effort.
Camila is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing about 110 pounds. She was last seen wearing a baby blue and black hoodie, baby blue pajama bottoms, and white shoes.
Officials have not confirmed evidence of foul play. But the circumstances have fueled growing concern, including her abandoned phone, her sudden disappearance on foot, and the complete lack of confirmed sightings.
Friends say the behavior was completely out of character, according to the Daily Mail.
“We would always be on the phone together when she walks,” her best friend Camilla Estrella told KSAT.
Another close friend said Camila was meticulous about staying connected. “It’s not like her,” Isabela said. “She always makes sure her phone is charged.”
Camila’s mother, Rosario Olmos, said she and her daughter were sleeping in the same bed early Christmas Eve morning when she felt Camila get up. About 90 minutes later, she woke up and realized her daughter was gone.
“I called her cell phone, but the phone was there on the bed and it was turned off,” Olmos said. “I thought I would find her walking like other times and we would come home together.”
After checking with Camila’s boyfriend and her father, both of whom said they had not seen her, Olmos contacted the sheriff’s office.
Family and friends searched nearby areas throughout Christmas Day but found no trace of the teen.
“It is not normal for her to disappear,” Olmos said. “I only ask God to please bring her back home.”
Camila’s aunt, Nancy Olmos, issued an emotional plea online as the search intensified.
“We are still searching for my sweet angel, my niece, Camila Mendoza Olmos,” she wrote. “She loves God with all her heart.”
