Authorities in Texas say they've discovered a body during their search for 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos, who has been missing since Christmas Eve.
Speaking during a press conference Tuesday night, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said it's "too early to tell" whether the body belongs to Olmos. He added that investigators do not suspect foul play but are not ruling out the possibility of self-harm.
"As you all know, one of the possibilities that we were working under was the fear of self-harm and at this point there are some indicators that the body that we found may be as a result of that," Salazar said. "Obviously, the medical examiner will have to make definitive identification and will have to provide positive manner of death, but as of now we're processing the scene and we hope to have more information to release as soon as we're able."
Salazar said that the body was found in an area "a few hundred yards" from Olmos' residence. He added that a firearm was also found in the area but it remains unclear whether that weapon was the same one recently reported missing by family members.
Olmos was last seen next to her car outside her family's home the morning of Christmas Eve. Authorities conducted multiple searches with ground teams, drones and cadaver dogs but have yet to say whether they've found her.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security also joined the search effort, as well as a team of about 60 or 70 volunteers who helped search near her home earlier this week.
Authorities have noted that cases involving people of Olmos' demographic often resolve quickly when individuals return home after disputes with family or relationship issues. However, Salazar said this case is different.
"Quite frequently, there are people within the same demographic as Camila, young, between the ages of 15 to 25. And we're used to people coming back in a very short time frame," he said. "They get mad at mom and dad, they break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, and then they leave, and then very shortly, they come back."
"In this instance, that's not what has occurred, and at present, there's very few physical clues to go on," Salazar said. "In other words, it's almost as if she just up and disappeared without a trace to this point, but we're going to continue to investigate any and all leads."
Investigators have also said they are not ruling out kidnapping or human trafficking, though Salazar pointed out that Olmos may have also left on her own.
