The tragic demise of 13-year-old Oscar "Omar" Hernandez, whose body was found in Oxnard, has been attributed to acute ethanol intoxication, as detailed by FOX LA. The Ventura County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide. Hernandez had been reported missing following a visit to his soccer coach, Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, in Lancaster on March 28.
Facing serious allegations, Garcia-Aquino, 43, is charged with murder. Oscar was last seen alive when he left home to help his coach with soccer jerseys, as reported by his family and confirmed by CBS News Los Angeles. In a tragic turn of events, normally bustling with life and the excitement of youth sports, the Hurricane Valley Boys Soccer Club coach also faces additional charges for sexually assaulting two other boys, with the horrific story further unfolding against a backdrop of alleged prior sexual abuse charges.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney has charged Garcia-Aquino with special circumstances for lewd acts with a child, relating to Hernandez's murder. After reporting him missing, Hernandez's family told authorities that they believed he went to help make soccer jerseys at his coach's Lancaster home, according to ABC7. His family, wanting only to support his passion for soccer, entrusted him to a coach who now stands at the center of a dark narrative.
Detained without bail, Garcia-Aquino pleaded not guilty to murder and has maintained his innocence in the sexual assault allegations dating back to 2022 and an unrelated 2024 case. In May, it came to light that a case backlog at the district attorney's office might have allowed Garcia-Aquino to be free rather than facing earlier charges, adding a layer of complexity to the narrative shrouding the young Hernandez's untimely death. The next court date for Garcia-Aquino is set for August 18.
