A pickaxe, shovel and blood-stained rope were found in a vehicle linked to the ex-husband of a slain New Jersey teacher days before her body was found in a shallow grave, court documents revealed.
Cesar Santana, 36, appeared in court Wednesday, facing several charges, including murder, in the death of Luz Hernandez, 33, a kindergarten teacher at a Jersey City charter school.
New chilling details from the affidavit revealed that a search of Santana’s Honda found bloody items, including a large black and yellow box with wheels, a pickaxe, a shovel, transparent plastic sheeting and a rope, That reports NBC News.
While some items were bloody, others had black hairs and dirt on the sheets.
Santana was arrested in Miami on February 10 and extradited to New Jersey Tuesday night. A second suspect in the murder, Lenier Miranda Lopez, 26, is still wanted by police.
Cesar Santana, 36, appeared in court on Wednesday where he was charged in the death of Luz Hernandez, 33, (pictured) a kindergarten teacher at a Jersey City charter school
New chilling details revealed that a search of Santana’s Honda found bloody items, including a large black and yellow bin with wheels, a pickaxe, a shovel, clear plastic sheeting and a rope
Police are still looking for Leiner Lopez, 26. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the Hudson County Attorney General’s Office.
Hernandez, a beloved kindergarten teacher and mother of three, was reported missing on Feb. 6 by Santana and family members when she failed to show up for class. Santana is the father of their three children.
Hernandez’s body was found hours later in a shallow grave in Kearney, New Jersey. Her death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head and compressions to the neck, according to the affidavit.
The investigation later revealed that Santana was seen walking to Hernandez’s home in Jersey City on Feb. 4 and walking out of the house an hour later with a black and yellow trash can, the affidavit revealed. It has not been released who saw this happen.
The following day, during a traffic stop on Feb. 5, Santana was issued a motor vehicle summons after he and a second person were seen loading a black and yellow bucket into a Honda in Kearney, New Jersey, which had an expired registration.
Two days later, on Feb. 7, Jersey City police officers conducted a welfare check at Hernandez’s home and discovered the faint smell of bleach, according to the affidavit. They found bloodstains in the bedroom and cleaning supplies.
Santana was arrested Friday and taken into custody with the help of the US Marshals Service after authorities tracked him down to Florida.
Lopez is still wanted by police in connection with the case, and the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office is urging anyone with information on the fugitive to come forward. He is accused of desecrating human remains.
Santana has been charged with murder, obstruction, tampering with physical evidence and failure to dispose of human remains in a manner prescribed by law, the Hudson County prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Hernandez’s body was found hours later in a shallow grave in Kearney, New Jersey. Her death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head and compressions to the neck
Hernandez, a beloved kindergarten teacher and mother of three, was reported missing on Feb. 6 by Santana and family members when she failed to show up for class. Santana is the father of their three children
The teacher’s sister told ABC7 prior to Santana’s arrest that the couple had been separated since November, but he stayed at her house and gave excuses as to why he couldn’t leave.
The murdered teacher’s sister told ABC7 prior to Santana’s arrest that the couple had been separated since November, but that he stayed at her house, constantly making excuses for why he couldn’t leave.
Her sister also claimed the couple had a tumultuous relationship, with Hernandez regularly confiding in family members that she felt she was in physical danger.
Hernandez was first reported missing after she failed to show up to a charter school on February 6, leading police to check her home in Jersey City.
A murder investigation was subsequently launched when blood spatter was found at her home, with the gruesome discovery leading to the issuance of a search warrant.
Hours later, Hernandez’s body was found in an industrial area of Kearny surrounded by trucking companies, an area three miles from her home.
Hernandez’s cousin revealed that when Santana was asked about Hernandez’s whereabouts after her disappearance, he said she “went out.”
On a GoFundMe page set up for Hernandez’s children, a family member wrote that she was a victim of domestic violence.
According to Hernandez’s fundraising page, she was from the Dominican Republic and moved to the US at the age of five. Her page has raised over $49,163.
