After going missing for almost a week, a mother of seven was found dead in a car that was drowned in a Texas river. Authorities are currently looking into what they describe as a dubious death.
In an update on Tuesday, August 19, the Waco Police Department confirmed that Consuelo Bernabe, 39, was the victim who was discovered inside a Dodge Caravan on Monday, August 18.
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on Sunday, August 17, her daughter, Maria Romero, posted on social media that her mother had gone missing since Friday.
Romero added, “Come back home, I’m Consuelo Bernabe. My mother has been missing since Friday. If you see her in Waco, Texas, please text me.”
According to a news statement from the Waco Police Department, authorities were notified Monday morning that the caravan had been found in the Brazos River close to North University Parks Drive and Jefferson Avenue.
According to the agency, Tow King, Texas Game Wardens, and the Waco Fire dive team helped remove the vehicle from the river. A female victim was found once the automobile was taken out.
The department attested to notifying Bernabe’s next of kin. The investigation is still ongoing, and no more information was immediately available.
Bernabe’s son, David Romero, told CBS station KWTX that his mother always had a grin on her face and put her kids’ needs first. Her disappearance was atypical, he said.
I wasn’t attempting to think too much. “But that’s not like my mom,” I said. He claimed that she always carries her phone with her and will return your calls and messages.
Hermelinda Romero, another daughter, told ABC affiliate KXXV that she suspected foul play after seeing her mother last Friday at a bar in Lott. She said that someone had to be connected to her mother’s passing.
Bernabe had contacted the family from the bar, Hermelinda said, and said she was waiting for a man to come get her. Her family thinks she might have been drunk at the time.
Hermelinda stated, “I think it was the guy she was last with; he had to be involved, but we don’t know why.”
On Wednesday, August 20, PEOPLE made contact with the Waco Police Department. In a statement provided to KXXV, the department stated:
According to the announcement, this is a dubious death inquiry, and we won’t know much more until the autopsy results are in to ascertain the cause of her demise. The information that has been made public is all that is currently accessible.
Following the vehicle’s recovery, Maria honored her mother on Facebook:
Ma, rest in peace. I can’t express how much I adore you; I want to see your lovely grin once more. Right now, whenever I enter your room, I cry and ask myself, “Why are you?” but I know that justice will be served, and I can’t wait to see you again.
