San Diego police have identified two suspects allegedly involved in the murder of 14-year-old Grant Hill resident Anna Hernandez. The first suspect is a minor, who cannot be named, who was arrested for being an accessory to the killing. The second suspect is Daniel Flores, 19, who remains at large. Diana Guevara reports.
A juvenile has been arrested on suspicion of accessory to murder charges and another suspect is being sought in connection to the killing of 14-year-old San Diego resident Anna Hernandez.
News of the suspects came Friday night, hours after Nelly Espinoza, a 12-year-old friend of the homicide victim, was found safe in Tijuana.
Nelly was found in Tijuana by her grandfather. Her grandfather notified Baja California State Preventive Police and then brought his granddaughter to the border, police said in a news release.
Officials then escorted Nelly to meet U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and San Diego police officers at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Friday afternoon, officials said. There, she was reunited with her mother after being interviewed by San Diego police.
Just before 10 p.m., San Diego police issued a news release, stating that a minor was booked in juvenile hall in connection to Anna Hernandez's murder. Police would not release the minor's name.
Meanwhile, police said a second suspect, 19-year-old Daniel Flores, is being sought by investigators.
Nelly and Anna were last seen together in Grant Hill on Nov. 13. Anna’s body was found five days later wrapped in a blanket in a canyon at 29th and Market streets – just behind an apartment complex in the Grant Hill area where the girl lived.
SDPD investigators said the body was decomposed and homicide detectives launched an investigation, but did not immediately identify the body as the teenage girl.
San Diego police said Friday afternoon that Nelly was not the victim of any crime, nor was she injured during her disappearance.
Further details on her case were not yet released on Friday afternoon.
The whereabouts of a third girl tied to this case, Janeth Mendoza, 16, are still unknown. She has not been seen by her loved ones since Oct. 28, police said.
Janeth is described as 5-foot-5 and 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She has several tattoos, including a Chargers bolt on her neck, the word "Bella" on her right forearm and "Perla" on her left forearm.
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Police characterized the disappearances of Nelly and Janeth as runaways and said they were interested in talking with them, as the teens could have information about Anna because they were the last people to be seen with her.
Police confirmed Saturday morning that the case against the unnamed juvenile suspect has been handed over to the San Diego District Attorney's office.
