FORT BEND COUNTY – Ring video shows a missing mother of three’s last moments the night before her disappearance. Now, a $1,000 reward has been donated in hopes of getting new information on her whereabouts and what happened the night she was last seen.
The video shows 40-year-old Erica Hernandez walking outside of her sister-in-law’s house.
Investigators say Hernandez was last seen last Sunday near Highway 288 and the Beltway driving a black GMC Acadia. It has a Texas license plate MKJ-3303.
“We have eliminated a lot of areas, we covered a lot of miles,” said the director of Texas EquuSearch, Tim Miller.
On Saturday morning, Texas EquuSearch crews continued to search wooded areas along FM 2234 in Fort Bend County hoping to find Hernandez.
“None of the leads, none of the tips, none of the things that have come in. Nothing in the investigation as of yet is certain. All have been dead ends,” Miller said.
Hernandez’s family believes something may have happened to her because she is not likely to have left her 19-year-old daughter without a vehicle to take to work.
According to Hernandez’s family, she and her mother were making food all day the day of her disappearance. When Hernandez invited friends and family over to eat, most of them couldn’t make it. Her family said Hernandez didn’t want to waste the food, so she decided to deliver it to them.
“Erica came to my house around 8:10 p.m. (Ring video). She left her car on because her kids were in the car,” Hernandez’s sister-in-law Eliva told KPRC 2. “Erica sat and talked to me for about five minutes and then left. Erica then went back home to drop her kids off.”
Eliva said possibly around 9:30 p.m., Hernandez went back out to her best friend Maggie’s house to deliver more food. Eliva said Hernandez was there until about 2:30 a.m.
“Maggie was texting Erica during her drive home to make sure she made it home safe,” Eliva said. “At 3:04 a.m., Maggie texted Erica asking if she made it home yet. Erica replied that she was five mins away.”
Eliva said Maggie then asked again once five minutes passed, but didn’t get a response. No one has heard from Erica since.
“Dad is very distraught. I ask him what his feelings were. Dad just broke down and cried and said, ‘Something has happened to my daughter,’” Miller said.
Miller said the car Hernandez was driving is a big answer in the case.
“We’re looking in case she got tracked, if somebody pulled off and dumped something somewhere and I am now as of now I have nothing,” he said.
Crews ended their search Saturday afternoon but will Sunday at 2 p.m. and continue looking for the car.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Houston Police Department at (832) 394-1840 or call Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500.