LOGAN HEIGHTS, Calif. (KGTV) — The Logan Heights community is mourning the loss of 22-year-old Leah Hernandez.
A growing memorial of photos, flowers and sweet messages truly capture who she was.
“Look at her jumping," said Javier Hernandez as he pointed to the pictures lining the fence of his home. "Her when we had her — 15-year-old.”
Memories are what Javier Hernandez is left with after he found out his little girl was found dead in a Tijuana hotel.
"We’ll never have a little baby or anything ever again. My baby’s gone," he said.
Leah Hernandez was just 22 years old.
She was a member of the LGBTQ community in San Diego, worked in her neighborhood at a local pizza shop and hoped to become a shoe designer.
"She was just a happy, smiley, harmless little girl that was just growing up, thriving and had a lot of friends,“ said Hernandez.
Her dad said she went to Tijuana to have a good time with friends.
He said her friends returned, but Leah didn’t.
"We went to the [police station] in Tijuana — to file a missing person’s report, and that’s where we found out about our daughter’s death," said Hernandez.
He said at first, he went to the police station to file a missing persons report but was told to go to the coroner's office in Baja California.
That's where he was asked to identify his daughter in a photo of her lifeless body.
The family said she was bruised, and they believe she was beaten.
“I definitely want our politicians here in San Diego that we put in office to please reach out and put some pressure and demand that we get some answers,” said Hernandez.
ABC 10News reached out to the U.S. State Department and a spokesperson said it is closely following the investigation but is said to refer questions about the investigation to the Government of Mexico.
Our newsgathering partners at Televisa in Tijuana spoke to the attorney general, who says Leah’s death is unfortunate, but there were no signs of violence.
"We have forensic data that shows the death due to failure of the cardiorespiratory system and found traces of use of controlled substances, like methamphetamine and others. The use of these substances led to the unfortunate failure of the cardiorespiratory system of this person,” said the attorney general.
For Leah’s dad, the investigation isn’t adding up.
"Where are the answers? Where are the hotel? Who paid for it? Who was there? Where are the videos? It’s a hotel. This is complete non-sense,” said Hernandez.
Services for Leah Hernandez will be held on August 1.
