A 2-year-old Texas girl was found dead in a creek roughly 500 yards from her home, leaving neighbors shaken as they described the devastating moment her body was discovered.
Aryana Trevino Martinez went missing from her San Antonio neighborhood around 8 p.m. Sunday, according to KSAT. An Amber Alert was issued during the search but later canceled after authorities found her body.
Officials have not yet confirmed Martinez’s cause of death, and investigators are still working to determine how the toddler managed to leave her home.
The child was discovered by 22-year-old Uriel Ramirez, the adult son of neighbor Anna Marie Ramirez.
Anna Marie told KSAT that when the Amber Alert went out, she felt compelled to join the search. “We need to be a part of this and help,” she recalled thinking.
As the search continued, Anna Marie said she struggled to move through the area because of the tall weeds, but Uriel pressed on.
From a rocky spot near the creek, Uriel spotted Martinez’s body in the water.
“As soon as he looked he said he saw her body and just jumped in without hesitating and carried her and brought her to everyone,” Anna Marie said through tears.
Martinez’s body was found at midnight, around four hours after San Antonio police received the missing persons call.
“I can’t even put it into words,” Uriel said, relaying the moment he found the toddler.
“She’s like an angel and something led me straight to her, like a direct shot.
“My brain was just – that’s where she is.”
“I found her,” Uriel told his mom after grabbing the body.
Martinez was last seen at around 7:45 p.m. Sunday and she was wearing a black top and leopard pants, according to the Amber Alert that was issued.
Police say surveillance video shows the 2-year-old walking to the creek.
For an Amber Alert to be issued, investigators must have a reasonable belief an abduction has happened and the child is 17 or younger and faces imminent danger of serious injury or death.
There must be enough information about the child and alleged abductor to assist in the recovery of the victim.
San Antonio cops have said their investigation remains ongoing and local residents have been left baffled by the disappearance.
“The first thing I thought, like everybody else, how did she get out there?” David Alcantar, a neighbor, told WOAI.
“How’s a two-year-old get out that way?”
A vigil will be held for Martinez at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
