Inset: Luis Antonio Mendez Hernandez (Summit County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Summit County Jail in Colorado (Google Maps).
A 19-year-old man from Colorado faces serious charges after allegedly murdering and dismembering his girlfriend in their shared residence, then attempting to mislead police by claiming she committed suicide.
Luis Antonio Mendez Hernandez was apprehended last month, facing three murder charges and one charge of tampering with a deceased human body in connection with the death of Griselda Amarilis Lopez-Racancoj, who was also the mother of his child, officials reported.
Hernandez is charged with first-degree murder after deliberation, first-degree murder with extreme indifference, and second-degree murder.
According to a statement from the Frisco Police Department, officers were dispatched after midnight on Monday, December 29, 2025, in response to a “medical emergency” at a local home. Upon arrival, they discovered the lifeless body of Lopez-Racancoj, an adult female, at the scene.
Given the “circumstances on the scene,” authorities secured a search warrant and arrested Hernandez later that day. The details of the case remained sealed until District Judge Reed W. Owens released the document on Wednesday.
The affidavit, acquired by the Summit Daily, outlines the chilling evidence that led to Hernandez’s arrest.
According to the document, when officers and medics arrived at the home, two female residents said they saw a person under the bed in the room shared by Hernandez and Lopez-Racancoj. A search of the room revealed the victim’s dismembered body in a white trash bag that had been “stuffed” under the bed.
One of the residents reportedly told police that Lopez-Racancoj had broken up with Hernandez on the night of Dec. 27, 2025, but noted that she had not seen the 20-year-old since the couple had argued that evening. When she saw Hernandez on the morning of Dec. 29, the resident said he had visible scratch marks on his neck and chest.
Investigators said that when searching the home, they recovered a 6-inch steak knife in the closet of Hernandez’s room that was covered in blood as well as pillows with blood patterns that were consistent with being “held to a person’s face.”
Another roommate reportedly told police Hernandez sent them “strange” text messages the night of Dec. 28, 2025, in which Hernandez suddenly claimed that Lopez-Racancoj was suicidal. When they confronted Hernandez about the whereabouts of Lopez-Racancoj, he allegedly refused to say.
In a post-Miranda interview with detectives, Hernandez said on Dec. 27, 2025, he got home from work at about 11 p.m., showered, and got into bed with an already-sleeping Lopez-Racancoj. He claimed he awoke at about 3 a.m. to feed their crying child a bottle then got back in bed and snuggled next to Lopez-Racancoj, only to find that she was cold to the touch and “obviously deceased.”
Hernandez reportedly said he did not call 911 due to “shock” and fear of being blamed. He went on to indicate that Lopez-Racancoj was being harassed by another man and suggested that she may have killed herself.
Hernandez refused to discuss any possible injuries Lopez-Racancoj may have suffered and claimed the scratches on his neck and chest were self-inflicted, the Summit Daily reported.
Instead of calling authorities, Hernandez said he wrapped Lopez-Racancoj’s body in a blanket and hid her under the bed before performing Google searches for how to dispose of her body.
Hernandez is currently being held in Summit County Jail on $5 million bond. It was not immediately clear when he was scheduled to next appear in court.
