FBI Joins Desperate Hunt for Camila Olmos, 19, Who Vanished on Christmas Eve Leaving Phone Behind

The FBI has joined the search for a 19-year-old student who vanished from her San Antonio home on Christmas Eve, with more than 100 volunteers unwilling to relinquish hope.

Camila Mendoza Olmos was last seen on surveillance footage shortly before 7 am on 24 December, standing outside her family's residence in northwest Bexar County.

She left without her mobile phone or vehicle, taking only her car key and possibly her driving licence. Federal investigators entered the case on Saturday following a request from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

Community Mobilises Daily Search Effort

Every morning since Camila's disappearance, volunteers have been gathering at Wildhorse HOA Sports Park to organise search parties, local media KSAT.com reported.

'Every morning, we have been meeting at the Wild Horse HOA Sports Park,' said Nate Gonzales, Camila's boyfriend. 'From there, we get our groups around 20 with one leader who has experience with search and rescue.'

On Saturday, the area was packed with volunteers who divided into groups to search a four-mile radius. Many of the searchers were said to have never met Camila but were moved to help after seeing news coverage.

'In my group, a lot of them had no idea who she was,' volunteer Sienna Rayfield told KSAT. 'They just saw the search on the news, and they showed up for her. I think that's really moving.'

Drone Surveillance and Professional Support

Search and Support San Antonio, a nonprofit organisation, has been coordinating the volunteer effort and providing drone surveillance to cover more ground.

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office has deployed deputies, investigators, drones, and search-and-rescue teams, including cadaver dogs. Despite the extensive effort, no trace of Camila has been found.

Prayer Vigil Draws More Than 100 Supporters

On Saturday evening, family and friends gathered at Ambassadors Coffee for a prayer circle. More than 100 people attended, including many who had never met Camila.

Camila was last seen at 6:58 am on Christmas Eve outside her family's home in the 11000 block of Caspian Spring.

A neighbour's security camera captured footage showing someone matching her description standing near her vehicle with the lights on, apparently searching for something inside. The recording ends moments later with no indication of where she went.

According to Kens5.com, her mother, Rosario Olmos, had been sleeping beside her daughter that morning. She felt Camila get up around 5:30 am but thought nothing of it. When Rosario woke 90 minutes later, her daughter was nowhere to be found. 'I called her mobile phone, but the mobile phone was there on the bed, and it was turned off,' Rosario said. 'I put it to charge and went out to look for her.'

'She Means the World'

Those who know Camila say her disappearance is completely out of character.

'She means the world,' Gonzales said. 'She truly loves her loved ones and always puts herself before others.' Friends described her as someone who was meticulous about staying in contact, always checking on others, and making sure their phones were charged.

The teenager's family members have travelled from California to help with the search, whilst her brother Carlos flew back to Texas immediately after learning she was missing.

Unwavering Determination

Despite days of searching with no results, volunteers say they won't stop looking.

'That is the least that we can do, is come together as a community and come together and pray for her family, pray for a safe return home,' Gonzales said in the KSAT interview. 'And that's all we can really do is look for her, and everything else is in God's hands.'

Texas authorities issued a CLEAR Alert for Camila on 26 December. The statewide system is designed to help locate missing and potentially endangered adults.

Camila is described as 5-foot-4 and weighing approximately 110 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black North Face sweater with baby blue accents, baby blue shorts, and white trainers. Anyone with information about her whereabouts is urged to contact the Bexar County Sheriff's Office at 210-335-6000.