Destiny Berumen, 28, a mother of three, was struck and killed while walking along U.S. Highway 281 South in the early hours of May 16, and her family has spent the past week trying to understand how she ended up there at all. Receipts, a bus ticket and phone records help them trace most of her final day, but they say there is a nearly four hour hole in the timeline before the crash around midnight. Investigators have told the family they found no signs of foul play, yet relatives say the timeline and the personal items returned by the medical examiner have them stuck with more questions than answers.
Using receipts and a VIA bus pass, Berumen's relatives say they have mapped out part of her last hours. They say she stopped at a Walmart on Vance Jackson and a Family Dollar on West Avenue, and that a VIA bus ticket stamped 7:47 p.m. marks her last confirmed movement. According to the family, a call to her phone at about 11:39 p.m. went unanswered, and she was struck roughly 20 minutes later. The receipts, bus slip and phone records are the backbone of the family's reconstruction, as reported by Univision.
Family Demands Answers
Berumen's mother, Elisa Cazares, says none of that explains how her daughter ended up on a dark, isolated stretch of U.S. 281 South, far from her usual routes. Cazares told reporters she has even driven to the scene at night, combing the area for anything that might have been missed. "How she ended up over there we don't know," Cazares told WOAI.
Investigation Status
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office said deputies found Berumen with severe injuries and that she was rushed to a trauma center, where she later died. According to the incident report, “the case will not remain active unless additional evidence is discovered,” and deputies told the family they found no indication of a crime at this time, as reported by WOAI.
Unanswered Questions Remain
Relatives say Berumen did not own a car and that the VIA route she used does not reach the rural stretch of 281 where she was found. That gap in transit leads them to suspect someone else may have taken her there. Family members also described the clothing and personal items returned by the medical examiner: a Spurs T shirt, earrings and underwear with blood in the intimate area. They say they have asked investigators whether testing for sexual assault was done. Those details and the family's account were reported by Univision.
What The Family Wants
The family is pleading with anyone who might have seen Berumen or has information about her final hours to contact the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. Investigators have said the case will be reopened if new evidence surfaces. Until that happens, relatives say they will keep retracing her last day, hoping that someone who knows what happened on that stretch of U.S. 281 will finally step forward.
