Auburndale, Florida – The father of a murdered Florida woman finds himself in jail after taking matters into his own hands to uncover her body. Christopher Hernandez acted on a tip regarding the location of his daughter, Sierra Hernandez’s body, resulting in him and four others being arrested for tampering with physical evidence.
Sierra Hernandez was murdered on November 8, leaving her family desperate for answers. Last week, Hernandez received a text message claiming to have information about her whereabouts. He, along with four others, went to a house in Auburndale to investigate the lead on their own.
The group began to dig in the yard, searching for Sierra, a move that ultimately led to their arrest. Hernandez, his fiancee Amber Merzacco, Hernandez’s brother Christopher Preston Hernandez, and two others, April Merrill and Kalob Ashley, were taken into custody on January 18 and held without bail.
During the time of their arrival, deputies had been surveilling the home and quickly intercepted the group. Criminal charges against the five individuals were later dropped by the State Attorney’s Office.
Meanwhile, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office had been actively seeking the “prime suspect,” Enrique Martinez, arrested on Tuesday. Martinez, who had previously served a five-year prison sentence for assaulting his girlfriend, was wanted for the November murder of a man in a homeless camp.
The actions of Sierra Hernandez’s family and friends reflect the anguish and desperation felt by those searching for answers in her tragic and untimely death.