Leticia Hernandez

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Oceanside Police Department (CA)

Offense Location:

Oceanside, California

Summary:

Leticia Hernandez was abducted from the front yard of her family’s home in Oceanside, California in late 1989. Initially, it was thought an older couple had abducted the child and were traveling around the country with her. Between 1989-1991, various sightings placed Leticia in the company of a white couple traveling around the United States. Sadly, the search for Hernandez ended when her skull and clothing were found in an area 26 miles away from her home. Her murder remains unsolved.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

Leticia was last seen by her mother at 5:00 pm on December 16th 1989. She was playing in the front yard of her family’s apartment complex. Her mother went to the laundry room and returned after ten minutes, when she got back Leticia was nowhere to be found. She immediately began searching for her daughter and police were quickly called. Authorities immediately suspected she had been abducted by a non-family member. Several parents in the area reported that their children told them of a strange man who offered them $50 to get into his late model Cadillac. This occurred outside a market near Leticia’s house, the children ran into the store and waited for the man to leave. Another girl recalled an individual matching the strange man’s description had offered to help her carry groceries three days before Leticia went missing. The individual is described as a white male in his mid-30s. The man was overweight, had a mustache, and had long brown hair although he was balding. The man was never identified and it’s unclear if he had any involvement in the case. Following Leticia’s disappearance, there were various sightings reported of her. She was in the company of two unidentified adults. The suspected abductors were a white man and woman. The man is in his early to mid-thirties (in 1990), 5'8", 200-250 pounds, with shoulder-length blond hair, and a tattoo of an outlined cross with writing inside on the back of one hand. The woman is approximately thirty years old (in 1990), 5'10", 130 pounds, has light-colored eyes, and collar-length, dirty bleached-blonde hair. The abductors may be driving a 1975 Maroon Buick Skylark with tan leather or vinyl interior. Its license plate may contain the letters or numbers: "K R 9 6 6" or "C R 9 6 6". The two suspects were never identified and it’s unclear if they are in fact the abductors.

Additional Details:

On March 9th 1991, a caretaker working on a property off Pala Temecula Road discovered a human skull. The area was described as a brush-filled canyon along Highway S16 near the Pala Indian Reservation. Clothing was also found at the scene. The skull was identified as Leticia Hernandez via dental records. It was determined she had died within three months of her abduction. In the weeks following the discovery, a grand jury investigation was launched into a suspect. The man, a 40 year old sex offender, lived a block away from the Hernandez residence at the time of Leticia’s abduction, he was married and has three children. The man was an initial suspect in the case and was looked at extensively until the sightings of Leticia began pouring in. After her remains were located, investigators began looking at him as a suspect once again. He told authorities he wasn’t in the area when the child disappeared but witnesses and other evidence placed him in the area that day. The man was a known smuggler and the area where Leticia’s remains were found was frequently used by smugglers. Some reports state DNA evidence found at the scene was compared with the man’s but the results were inconclusive. He was never arrested or charged with Leticia’s death. Police do not believe the sightings of her with the couple are accurate and believe the eye witnesses were mistaken. they instead believe Leticia was killed likely on the same day she went missing. Her murder remains unsolved.

Case Last Updated:

Dec 06, 2024