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Two days after she was reported missing, authorities in North Carolina have tragically confirmed that they have recovered the body of 18-year-old Yadira Hernandez Castro.
Castro’s parents said that they last saw her leaving the family’s home in Concord on Saturday, January 31. Her parents told investigators that she’d said she would be hanging out with a friend and promised to be home before 8 p.m.
But her friends told police that when they last saw her, Castro was intoxicated and was seen leaving a party at her friend’s house at approximately 10:30 p.m. local time, the Concord Police Department said in a press release.
Yadira stood 5-foot-3 and had curly black hair with matching black eyes, police said. At the time of her disappearance, she was reportedly wearing a brown padded jacket with leopard-print pants and boots.
Castro’s parents told investigators that they spoke to her on the phone at around 10:50 p.m., but that she didn’t make it home that night. She was then reported missing around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, February 1, according to investigators.
“Immediately after taking the missing person report on Sunday morning, Concord Police began investigating Castro’s whereabouts, including speaking to her family, friends, neighbors in the area, and looking at all available video footage,” the press release said, adding that they have recovered video footage that shows Castro walking in an area of Concord at 12:27 a.m. on February 1.
Police said that Castro’s cell phone also last pinged in the same area.
Authorities said that they spent two days searching for Castro by land, even utilizing K9 units and infrared drones to scan wooded areas.
According to the police press release, the first land search was rather extensive and conducted from about 4:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on February 1, with no sign of Castro. But searchers found her remains on the second day and quickly made a positive identification before notifying Castro’s parents.
According to police, it appears that “alcohol and extreme cold temperatures contributed to Castro’s death, and current evidence does not suggest foul play.”
A winter storm did dump about 12 inches of snow across much of the region on both Saturday and Sunday.
The case remains under investigation, and police said an official cause of death is still pending.
The Charlotte Observer is reporting that Castro did freeze to death.
Castro’s family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the girl’s funeral expenses. The page also suggests the family is planning to commission an independent investigation into Castro’s death, claiming on the GoFundMe page they do, in fact, believe there was foul play involved in her death.
The family does not explain what leads them to think that the police are wrong.
The campaign has already raised over $14,000 of its $40,000 goal. Castro’s funeral is scheduled for February 15.
Police have asked that anyone who may have information relevant to Castro’s case call detectives at (704) 960-5112.
This has been a tragic winter, with people vanishing during storms only to turn up dead, including missing Kansas teacher Rebecca Rauber, who was found dead in the woods under a blanket of snow hours after leaving a bar the evening of January 23, according to police.
Police officers and a K9 search team found the Rauber’s remains about 300 yards away from where she was “last seen on video” in Emporia, the Emporia Police Department said in a January 25, news release.
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