LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The mother of a teenager found dead this week near a school in Las Vegas is seeking justice while circumstances surrounding the death remain unclear.
A spokesperson for Clark County identified the victim to 8 News Now as 16-year-old Evelin Casas-Hernandez.
According to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, her body was found Tuesday morning at a softball field near Harney Middle School, which is near Hollywood Boulevard and E. Charleston Boulevard.
Fabiola Casas-Hernandez tells 8 News Now she wants answers on how her daughter ended up dead.
“I want something to be done for my daughter because she doesn’t deserve this,” Casas-Hernandez said. “I want [law enforcement] to tell me that they will find out who did this to her.”
She describes Evelin as her whole world, having raised her as a single parent.
Casas-Hernandez says Evelin asked her to go out after school on Monday with a friend but didn’t give details on where she was going.
She never thought by saying yes, it would be the last time she’d see her.
“When they called me to see her, she had bruises,” Casas-Hernandez said. “They hit her brain, so I think that’s what killed her.”
As for why Evelin was near Harney Middle School, her mother doesn’t know for sure. She said the teenager previously attended Las Vegas High School, which is nearby on Sahara Avenue and Hollywood.
For the past two years, she was a student at a charter school called Acceleration Academy.
“I called her, the phone [was] off, and since I don’t have a car, I didn’t know where to go,” Casas-Hernandez said.
She said Evelin had all the qualities you can ask for in a child. Besides school, the teenager worked part-time to help make ends meet but also to pursue her dream career in cosmetology.
“That hurts me, because she had her money saved,” Casas-Hernandez said.
A spokesperson for Clark County told 8 News Now the cause or manner of death has not been determined.
According to Fabiola Casas-Hernandez, Evelin’s cell phone has still not been located.
Metro’s homicide unit is in charge of the investigation into the death.
The family is planning to host a candlelight vigil on Saturday night near where Evelin was found.
Here’s a link to a GoFundMe for the family: Fundraiser by Fabiola Casas : Donate in Memory of Evelin Casas (gofundme.com)
