The body of a Washington state hairdresser was found in a cemetery by a highway in Mexico after she vanished late last month, police said.
Reyna Hernandez, 54, went missing from her home in Renton on Feb. 26, according to local police.
She was reported missing two days later, when she failed to return from running errands and had not opened her hair salon, authorities said.
Evidence indicated that Hernandez had been taken against her will.
Last Wednesday, Renton investigators were given a news article from Mexicali, Mexico about an unidentified female body found in a cemetery by the Tijuana Highway, the department’s statement read.
The Renton Police Department (RPD) subsequently provided enough information to identify Hernandez as the victim.
Mexican authorities have arrested a suspect in the case on unrelated charges, police said.
A 61-year-old Renton resident is in custody in Mexico, where officials also found Hernandez’s car, the RPD explained.
It is not clear how Hernandez was connected with the 61-year-old, but authorities described her death as a domestic violence crime.
“This is the worst possible outcome, and our hearts go out to Reyna’s family and friends,” RPD Investigations Commander Chandler Swain said.
“We are working closely with Mexicali police and our U.S. Federal partners to determine when and where Reyna was killed,” they added.
If authorities find that Hernandez was killed on US soil, they will seek to extradite the suspect to face charges in the relevant jurisdiction.
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