Authorities have made an arrest in the homicide of a Jersey City kindergarten teacher, Luz Hernandez, who was found in a shallow grave after being beaten and strangled.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t give away the identity of the suspect or what the charges were in their announcement Friday morning, merely saying that more information will be released about the investigation soon.
An autopsy showed that Hernandez, 33, a mother of three, had died due to blunt force trauma to her head and compressions to her neck.
When Hernandez didn’t show up to work on Monday, her employer, BelovED Charter School, reported her missing. On Tuesday, Jersey City police conducted a welfare check at her Van Horne Street residence and found evidence of a crime, so they contacted the prosecutor’s office for help.
Later that day, at 4:50 p.m., her body was discovered near Central Avenue and Third Street in Kearny, according to Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez.
On Saturday, Hernandez had gone to visit a relative with her children and the next day, the kids had spent time with their father, WNBC reported. Hernandez was separated from Junior Santana, according to ABC 7.
Her sister, Jenny Taveras, told WNBC, “We can’t live without her, I’ll never fill this void.” Yajaira Germosen, her cousin, said, “She was a really good mother. She was kind, oh my God. She was a beautiful person. We are going to miss her so much. I cannot speak, it’s unbelievable.”