The body of a 30-year-old Fresno woman was recovered from the bottom of the California Aqueduct near Huron on Tuesday, five days after her boyfriend was charged with her murder, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said. The sheriff’s office said it presumed Missy Hernandez died under suspicious circumstances.
Investigators said Hernandez was last seen on the night of Dec. 7 after leaving an art show in downtown Fresno with her 41-year-old boyfriend Ramon Jimenez. Concerned friends, who considered it unusual for Hernandez to not respond to calls, contacted police. A deputy went to her house, made contact with Jimenez and recognized him “as a person wanted for domestic violence against Missy in October 2021 at this same address,” the sheriff’s office said.
The deputy took Jimenez into custody on December 8 and booked him into jail.
The next day, Hernandez’s friends went to the house and they found evidence inside that Hernandez had been injured, the sheriff’s office said. According to officials, this led to a month-long investigation with the sheriff’s office collecting an overwhelming amount of evidence, including DNA, indicating a violent act took place at Hernandez’s home.
Digital evidence led search teams to look for Hernandez’s remains in multiple locations, including the Grapevine on Interstate 5 and the Highway 198 corridor in western Fresno County.
“After not having any success, a decision was made on January 16th to attempt a dangerous dive operation in a specific area of the California Aqueduct,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The California Aqueduct is a system of canals that carries water from the Sierra Nevada to other parts of California. Hernandez’s body was found in the aqueduct near Huron, a town 20 miles north of Kettleman City.
Jimenez currently at the Fresno County Jail and has been charged with murder and domestic violence. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 22.