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He was reportedly being questioned in connection with a 13-year-old boy who died in a ditch in Ventura County. His family said.
The family of 13-year-old Oscar Hernandez holds candlelights outside his Sun Valley home to honor the boy’s life.
His family reported that he went missing on March 30 after he didn’t return home. They claim that he was with the soccer coach of Antelope Valley when he disappeared.
Three days later, on April 2nd, Oscar’s body was found in a wooded area off the coast of Ventura County Road, about 70 miles from his home.
The coach, who is now said to be interested in the case, was arrested Wednesday on unrelated sexual assault charges since 2024, his family said.
Oscar’s mother, Gladys Maribel Bautista, said she last spoke to her son through a video call the day Oscar went missing.
Oscar Omar Hernandez, 13, a resident of the San Fernando Valley, was found dead in a ditch in a wooded area off the Ventura County Road on April 2, 2025 (Alejandra Hernandez) and reported that he found the body that matches the description of a teenage boy, age 13, at Oxnard on April 2. The Oxnard (KTLA) family gathers on April 2, 2025, where the 13-year-old boy reported missing death on April 2, 2025. (KTLA) The boy’s mother, Gladys Maribel Bautista (right), is comforted by his loved ones at the candlelight vigil held on April 4, 2025 in Sun Valley to honor Oscar Hernandez. (Alejandra Hernandez) The family met for a gathering and reported that the 13-year-old boy died on April 2, 2025. Candlelight Vigil was held on April 4, 2025 to honor Oscar Hernandez outside his Sun Valley home.
Bautista said Oscar rode the metro into his coach’s Antelope Valley home to help out with his side job. They planned to draw the jerseys for the soccer team, and the coach reportedly offered to “pay him well,” his mother said.
When they called Oscar on their 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 talk to them. He also claimed that Oscar was unable to make the call because he had painted a picture in his hand.
A few days later, Oscar’s body was placed by police after a search. His family remains devastated and longs for answers.
Oscar was a seventh grader at Sun Valley Magnet School and was a great footballer, his friend said. His family moved from Honduras to the United States just three years ago.
According to the family, he first met a soccer coach at the Valley Plaza Sports Complex in North Hollywood.
The coroner’s office has not released the juvenile’s cause of death. His family said the Los Angeles Police Department had undertaken an investigation but did not share much information with them.
As friends and loved ones continue to bring flowers and candles, their loved ones are having a clear candle all night this week outside the boy’s Sun Valley home.
The boy’s family wants justice for his death, and his grieving mother says in Spanish, “probably my son gave his life to others being exposed.”
The arrested coach is scheduled for a court hearing in downtown Los Angeles on April 7th. His identity has not been made public as police have not publicly confirmed that he is the same person being questioned about the boy’s death.
KTLA contacted the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for details on the case, but was told the case would remain a continuing investigation.
The Hernandez family is planning to hold Oscar’s funeral in Honduras.
Police proposed at a press conference Wednesday night that some people were interested in the incident, but they suggested that they had not identified any particular person and that no additional information has been released by investigators.
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