Officials made an arrest Thursday after a 33-year-old Jersey City kindergarten teacher’s body was found in a shallow grave.
“An arrest has been made in connection with the death investigation of Luz Hernandez. More to follow,” the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a social media post Thursday at 11:52 p.m.
The person’s identity has not yet been made public, nor have any potential charges, according to Fox 5.
This week, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said the body of Hernandez, a mother of three children who taught at BelovED Charter School, was found buried.
The prosecutor’s office detailed the case in a statement:
On Tuesday, February 7, 2023, the Jersey City Police Department conducted a welfare check on Van Home Street regarding a missing person’s report. The findings resulted in the Jersey City Police Department contacting the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office for assistance. During the course of the investigation, the Homicide Unit located what appeared to be a shallow grave in the area of Central Avenue and Third Street in Kearny.
The woman’s death was ruled a homicide, and the cause was due to “blunt force trauma to the head and compressions to the neck.”
Social media users expressed their sadness over the news, one person writing, “Prayers for the three children who’s [sic] mother was taken.”
Family members reportedly said Hernandez and her husband separated in November, but they continued sharing the home.
During their investigation, police reportedly found “blood splatters” on the door of the apartment.
A few days ago, family, neighbors, and students gathered outside the residence to remember Hernandez, according to CBS New York:
“She was kind. Oh my God, she was a beautiful person,” a cousin told NBC New York, adding, “I’m going to miss her so much. I cannot speak because it’s unbelievable.”