Latest news with #SunValleyMagnetSchool
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
Coach questioned in 13-year-old Southern California boy's death arrested on unrelated charge, family says
The soccer coach who was reportedly being questioned in connection to a 13-year-old boy who was found dead in a Ventura County ditch was arrested on an unrelated sexual assault charge, his family said. The family of Oscar Hernandez, 13, has been holding candlelight vigils outside their Sun Valley home to honor the boy's life. His family reported him missing on March 30 after he failed to return home. They claim he was with his soccer coach in the Antelope Valley when he disappeared. Three days later on April 2, Oscar's body was discovered in a wooded area off a Ventura County road almost 70 miles away from his home. The coach, who is now allegedly a person of interest in the case, was arrested on Wednesday for an unrelated sexual assault charge from 2024, his family said. Oscar's mother, Gladys Maribel Bautista, said the last time she spoke to her son was through a video call on the day Oscar went missing. Bautista said Oscar had taken a metro ride to his coach's Antelope Valley home to help with a side job. They planned to paint the soccer team's jerseys and the coach reportedly offered to 'pay him well,' his mother said. When they called Oscar on his cell phone later that night, the coach answered the call instead, Bautista said. It was a short conversation, and she said it felt as if the coach didn't want to speak with them. He also claimed Oscar couldn't take the phone call because he had paint on his hands. Days later, Oscar's body was located by police following a search. His family remains devastated and is desperate for answers. Oscar was a 7th grade student at Sun Valley Magnet School and was an excellent soccer player, his friends said. His family moved to the U.S. from Honduras just three years ago. He first met the soccer coach at the Valley Plaza Sports Complex in North Hollywood, according to this family. The coroner's office has not released the boy's cause of death. His family said the Los Angeles Police Department has assumed the investigation but has not been sharing much information with them. Loved ones have been holding candlelight vigils outside the boy's Sun Valley home this week as friends and loved ones continue bringing flowers and candles. The boy's family wants justice for his death, his grieving mother saying in Spanish that, 'Perhaps my son gave his life for others to be exposed.' The arrested coach is slated for a court hearing on April 7 in downtown Los Angeles. His identity was not released as police have not publicly confirmed that he is the same person being questioned for the boy's death. KTLA reached out to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for more information on the case but was only told that the case remains an ongoing investigation. The Hernandez family plans to hold Oscar's funeral in Honduras. While police suggested in a news conference Wednesday night 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.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
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.
