MIAMI, Fla. (WFLA) — A suspect has been arrested in connection to the death of New Jersey kindergarten teacher, Luz Hernandez. Another suspect is on the run, authorities said.
Hernandez was found buried in a shallow grave in Kearny, New Jersey on Tuesday after her colleagues and family members reported the 33-year-old missing Monday.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office reports Cesar Santana, 36, was captured in a Miami motel early Friday morning by the U.S Marshals Service Southern District of Florida and the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Santana was charged with one count of desecrating or concealing human remains and is being held at the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Night Detention Center as a fugitive.
Authorities said Santana was Hernandez’s ex. A second fugitive named Leiner Miranda Lopez, 26, is also being sought in connection to the teacher’s death and faces the same charges.
According to prosecutors, both Santana and Lopez are from Jersey City. An unregistered vehicle the pair was driving was impounded following a weekend traffic stop and prosecutor’s state “additional evidence was recovered.”
