Coach allegedly linked to disappearance of Southern California boy, 13, found dead
Family members of a 13-year-old boy found dead in a Ventura County ditch say the teen was reportedly with his soccer coach, now allegedly a person of interest, when he disappeared over the weekend.
San Fernando Valley resident Oscar Omar Hernandez, whose family moved to the U.S. from Honduras in search of a better life just three years ago, was reported missing on March 30 after he failed to return from Lancaster.
His body was found in a ditch in a densely wooded area off Harbor Boulevard in Oxnard on Wednesday.
Sky5 was over the location as federal agents and investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department cordoned off the area and forensic crime scene technicians prepared to scour the area for evidence.
Oscar, a 7th grade student at Sun Valley Magnet School, was a standout soccer player, his friends told KTLA's Sandra Mitchell at a vigil Thursday, held at the spot where his body was discovered.
'He was alive the last time he was here,' Oscar's sister, Alejandra Hernandez, said in Spanish. 'We came here because we found his body.'
Soccer coach allegedly linked to missing Southern California boy, 13, found dead
The Hernandez family now claims the teen was with his soccer coach in the Antelope Valley at the time of his disappearance and are now asking how their beloved son and brother's body ended up in a ditch almost 70 miles from his home.
'We had that person at our home,' Alejandra said. 'He even helped us look for Oscar. We never thought he would harm him.'
A small altar with flowers, a cross, candles and photos of the teen now mark the spot where his body was found.
So far, the family does not know how Oscar died and is awaiting a call from the Ventura County Coroner's Office.
While police suggested in a news conference Wednesday evening that there was a person of interest in the case, they did not identify a specific person, nor has any additional information been released by investigators.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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