A California boy allegedly killed by his soccer coach died from acute alcohol poisoning, according to the family’s civil attorney, raising new questions about the final hours of his life.
Oscar “Omar” Hernandez, 13, was reported missing in late March after he traveled from his Sun Valley home to the Antelope Valley to visit his coach, reportedly to help make soccer jerseys. Days later, his body was discovered in a roadside ditch in Oxnard.
The teen’s official cause of death, shared with the family by the Ventura County medical examiner’s office, was “acute alcohol intoxication,” civil attorney Michael Carrillo confirmed on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“The tragedy and trauma with the release of information continues for this family,” Carrillo said. “First he was missing, then he was found in a ditch and now they come to discover it was alcohol intoxication.”
“It’s so many puzzle pieces that are coming together, but at the end of the day, [the Hernandez’] son is gone forever,” Carrillo added.
Omar’s soccer coach, 43-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino, was charged in April with murder and a special circumstance allegation of committing lewd acts with a child, making him eligible for the death penalty. He pleaded not guilty and is due back in court in August, according to court records.
Garcia Aquino, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, had previously been investigated for alleged misconduct with minors. In 2022, he was accused of sexual assault, but charges were not filed after the alleged victim declined to testify.
Nearly a year before Omar’s death, another teen accused Garcia Aquino of sexual abuse. However, prosecutors didn’t file charges until 10 months later — and an arrest warrant wasn’t issued until three days before Omar was killed, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Current District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Deputy District Attorney Ryan Erlich said the delay in that earlier case was due in part to a court staffing crisis and a backlog of cases, as well as a decision by then–District Attorney George Gascón to centralize criminal filings electronically.
Garcia Aquino’s immigration status was thrust into the spotlight in April when the Department of Homeland Security publicly labeled him a “depraved illegal alien who should have never been in this country.”
It remains unclear how long he had been in the U.S. or under what circumstances he arrived.
The Los Angeles Police Department and FBI continue to investigate the case.
