Photo: Polk County Sheriff's Office
A Florida man found himself behind bars while searching for his missing 20-year-old daughter, who was found murdered this week.
Christopher "Shawn" Hernandez was arrested along with his brother and three others after searching a house in Winter Haven in hopes of finding Sierra Hernandez, WFLA reports. She was reported missing on January 14 after her family became concerned for her well-being, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
The father reportedly got a text message from someone claiming to have information on his daughter's disappearance.
“A text came in, and the text said, ‘girl dead, body burned in yard,'" Trey Stokes, Sierra's cousin, told reporters. “I believe they had an address that was given to them.”
According to an affidavit obtained by reporters, the group was arrested at the house and now faces charges, including tampering with physical evidence.
During a Monday (January 22) news briefing, Sheriff Grady Judd confirmed they've recovered the body and identified 26-year-old Enrique Martinez as a suspect in Sierra Hernandez's killing. Deputies said he was arrested Tuesday for first-degree murder and on a warrant connected to the November murder of a homeless man.
WFLA said a judge denied bond for Shawn Hernandez and his search team. The father said he was only trying to help in the search for Sierra in a message sent to the news station on Tuesday (January 23).
“We’re trying to do whatever to get them out because he needs to mourn, and that is not the place to mourn,” Stokes said.