By Minyvonne Burke—
NBC News
A Seattle-area woman who disappeared in February was found dead in a roadside cemetery in Mexicali, Mexico, Washington State Police said.
A suspect in the case, a 61-year-old resident of Renton, was detained by Mexican authorities on charges unrelated to the death of
Reyna Hernández
, according to a statement posted Monday on Facebook by the Renton Police Department.
If it is determined that Hernández was murdered in the United States, authorities will request the suspect's extradition, Renton police said, noting that once the manner and time of death are confirmed, detectives will be able to determine if a homicide was committed. .
Reyna Hernández.Renton Police Department
Hernandez, 54, was found dead after Renton police were alerted Friday to a Mexicali news article
about an unidentified body in a cemetery
on the highway to Tijuana.
Investigators contacted Mexican authorities and “were able to provide sufficient information to identify Hernandez,” Renton police added.
His vehicle was also found in Mexico.
[Madeline Soto, the 13-year-old teenager who disappeared in Florida, is found dead. They suspect her mother's boyfriend]
The discovery came about a week after friends of Hernandez reported her missing on Feb. 28, when she didn't return home after making some earrings and didn't open her beauty salon in Renton Highlands, police said.
Authorities believe he disappeared two days earlier.
A friend of Hernández told police that he last spoke with her on February 26 and that she assured him that she was making arrangements and was going to a house in south Renton, according to the first press release from the police department. police.
Investigators conducted multiple search warrants and followed dozens of leads.
The evidence showed that Hernández “was taken against her will” to that home, police stated.
Authorities have released very few details about the case, including how long they believe Hernandez was in Mexico and his connection to the suspect.
Renton police indicated 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 added that they are working with Mexicali police and their US federal partners to determine when and where Hernández died.
Renton is a suburb of Seattle located about 12 miles southeast of the city center.