RENTON, Wash. — Renton police said they are continuing to build a case against a suspect in the death of a local salon owner who was found dead in Mexico in March.
Reyna Hernandez, 54, was identified by Mexican authorities as the woman whose body was found in a local cemetery near the Tijuana Highway in Mexicali, Mexico on March 8. Police said Hernandez's body has been transferred to the King County Medical Examiner for an autopsy.
Mexican law enforcement arrested a 61-year-old Renton resident on unrelated charges, according to information from the Renton Police Department. Hernandez's vehicle was also recovered.
Detectives believe it is a domestic violence crime.
“This is the worst possible outcome, and our hearts go out to Reyna’s family and friends,” said Investigations Commander Chandler Swain. “We are working closely with Mexicali police and our U.S. Federal partners to determine when and where Reyna was killed.”
Hernandez is believed to have disappeared from a south Renton home on Feb. 26. Friends reported her missing on Feb. 28 after she failed to return home from running errands and did not open her hair salon in the Renton Highlands, according to the Renton Police Department.
Hernandez told a friend that she was going to a home in south Renton on Tuesday, Feb. 26, between 10 and 10:30 a.m.
Evidence recovered by police indicates that she was taken against her will.
Renton PD said the investigation is expected to take significant time and once completed, it would be referred to the King County Prosecutor's Office. KCPAO would then make a determination on charges and if they do charge, RPD would work on a warrant to initiate the extradition process.
Hernandez's sister, Sara Carrillo, remembered Hernandez as a happy, loving person.
"The only thing we wanted was to find her and we found her," she said. "Not in the way that we hoped, but we found her and we thank God for that."