Christmas Eve 2025 was supposed to be filled with warmth, family traditions, and anticipation for the holidays in a quiet northwest Bexar County neighborhood. Instead, it became the day a loving 19-year-old named Camila Mendoza Olmos vanished, leaving her family in unimaginable agony and sparking a massive, ongoing search that has now stretched into its fifth day as of December 28.

foxnews.com

Texas 19-year-old Camila Mendoza Olmos vanishes outside her home on Christmas Eve

Camila, a 5-foot-4, 110-pound young woman with brown hair and brown eyes, was last seen around 6:58 a.m. on December 24 outside her family home in the 11000 block of Caspian Spring. Neighborhood surveillance footage captured a chilling moment: a figure believed to be Camila standing beside her car in the driveway, its interior lights illuminating the early morning darkness. She appears dressed in a black North Face sweater with baby blue accents, baby blue shorts or pajama bottoms, and white shoes, rummaging inside the vehicle for something unidentified. The video abruptly ends, and that’s the last anyone has seen of her. Her car remained parked untouched, her belongings—including her powered-off cell phone—left behind on her bed. Authorities believe she departed on foot, possibly for one of her regular morning walks, taking only her car keys and perhaps her driver’s license.

foxsanantonio.com

Missing Teen

Her mother, Rosario Olmos, who had been sharing a bed with Camila that night—a sweet, comforting habit in their close family—felt her daughter get up early but thought nothing of it. About 90 minutes later, Rosario awoke to an empty house and growing dread. “I called her cell phone, but the cell phone was there on the bed, and it was turned off,” she recounted to local media, her voice trembling. She charged the phone, searched the neighborhood, and reached out to Camila’s boyfriend and father, Alfonso Mendoza, but no one had heard from her. “I thought I would find her like other times, walking, and we would come home together.” But this time, there was no Camila. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) was notified, and the nightmare began.

“It’s not like her,” friends and family repeatedly emphasize, a phrase that captures the baffling nature of her disappearance. Close friend Isabela told KSAT, “She’s always been the one to always stalk on us and make sure that her phone’s always charged.” Camila was the responsible one, the communicator who checked in constantly. Running away? Absolutely out of character. “Running away doesn’t seem like her,” loved ones insist. Her childhood best friend, Camila Estrella, shared their final conversation on December 23: They excitedly planned dress shopping for an upcoming family event. “She said, ‘Bye Cami, I love you,’” Estrella recalled, heartbroken. “She was someone that was just full of love. This is so random, we never expected this.”

Camila’s deep faith was central to her life. Recently baptized, she was described as someone who “loves God with all her heart,” a sentiment her aunt Nancy Olmos echoed in viral social media pleas. “We are still searching for my sweet angel, my niece, Camila Mendoza Olmos, 19 years old,” Nancy posted, calling the holiday “not a Christmas for us—it is a nightmare.” Relatives who had traveled for the festivities rushed back to help. Brother Carlos Mendoza flew in immediately, joining exhaustive searches. “We’ve been searching within a three-mile radius. I want her to come back.” Father Alfonso’s plea is raw: “Please come home. Daddy’s missing you.”

Rosario clings to prayer: “I only ask God to please bring her back home. Bring her back to me.” She appeals to God, angels, and the Virgin Mary for her daughter’s return. Another relative, Maribel Mendoza, summed up the exhaustion: “It’s very stressful. We love her. We want her with us.”

abcnews.go.com

Search ongoing for Texas teen missing since Christmas Eve – ABC News

The community’s response has been overwhelming and inspiring. On Christmas Day itself, over 100 volunteers spread out across northwest Bexar County, hanging flyers, scouring greenbelts, parks, and schools. Searches resumed relentlessly, with volunteers like Eric Herr declaring, “We’re searching everywhere—green belts all the way through the local schools.” On December 27 evening, more than 100 people gathered at Ambassadors Coffee for a prayer circle, strangers uniting in solidarity. One attendee, recently bereaved, shared, “My dad passed away, and he would’ve wanted me to be strong and help other people.” “We’re not going to stop,” the community vows, as flyers reach San Antonio, Waco, Round Rock, and Temple.

Law enforcement has matched the urgency. A CLEAR Alert was issued on Christmas Day, classifying Camila as possibly endangered. The BCSO has deployed deputies, investigators, drones, search-and-rescue teams, and cadaver dogs from Alamo Area Search and Rescue. Multiple sweeps of wooded areas, ditches, and neighborhoods have found nothing. On December 27, the FBI joined the investigation, elevating the case due to its seriousness and potential broader reach. Authorities urge anyone with doorbell or security cameras to review footage from that morning—no detail is too small.

The location adds a terrifying dimension. Northwest Bexar County, near major highways like Interstate 10, has long been identified by law enforcement as a human trafficking corridor. Traffickers exploit the area’s accessibility for rapid abductions, targeting vulnerable individuals during solitary moments like early walks. While there’s no confirmed evidence of foul play or trafficking in Camila’s case, the circumstances—light clothing in cool weather, no phone for tracking or calls for help, an early-hour departure on foot—heighten these fears. The randomness evokes chilling “what if” scenarios: Did she encounter someone? Was the car rummage a sign of something amiss?

ksat.com

It’s not like her’: Friends, relatives continue search for missing …

Camila’s life paints a picture of a young woman with everything to live for. After moving from California to Texas at age 7, she found stability with family, including Aunt Nancy’s home as a starting point. A business student at Northwest Vista Community College, she was ambitious, organized, and dreaming of future success. Friends describe her as selfless, always prioritizing others, radiating positivity. Her recent baptism marked a spiritual milestone, deepening her faith that now sustains her family.

As December 28 unfolds with no new leads—no sightings, no items recovered, no digital traces—the suspense is excruciating. The void during what should have been festive family time amplifies the pain. Yet, the outpouring of support offers glimmers of hope: vigils, shared posts trending online, and unwavering searches.

This case underscores broader dangers—thousands go missing annually in the U.S., with Texas hotspots amplifying risks. Camila’s story is a reminder of how quickly safety can shatter, but also how communities rally in crisis.

The family and authorities plead: If you have any information, contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at (210) 335-6000 or email missingpersons@bexar.org. Tips can be anonymous. In this season of hope, bring Camila Mendoza Olmos home—to the arms of a mother praying desperately, a father missing his daughter, and a community refusing to give up.