WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The family of Sierra Hernandez was released from jail on Wednesday — now, free to focus on mourning the loss of their loved one.
Sierra Hernandez, 20, was reported missing on Jan. 14. Her father, stepmother, brother, his fiancé and their close friends were desperately searching for her in the backyard of a home when they were unexpectedly arrested.
"Words can't put into how we're feeling. We feel like we were done wrong, drug through the mud and we were helping. Just doing what a father, a mother, a sister-in-law, a brother would do and we were done wrong. We are shattered about all this," said Shawn Hernandez, Sierra's father.
The family spoke to 10 Tampa Bay's Angelina Salcedo just 15 minutes after being released from the Polk County Jail and getting home. Their emotions were raw and grief overwhelming.
"Cops didn’t want to do their jobs then we’ll do it. Cops told us there’s no physical evidence that she was there so they couldn’t do anything about it," Sierra's sister-in-law April Merrill and older brother Christopher Hernandez said.
All five of Sierra's loved ones were charged with armed burglary and tampering with evidence on Jan. 18 after Sierra's dad admitted to having a weapon, but keeping it in his car.
"As a parent, who wouldn't do what we've done? There's no buts about it! If you love your kids, you're going to go to the moon, to the end of the world, turn up every rock that you can. We did. We did it, that's why were were there looking for our lost one. She was our missing one at the time," Shawn said.
The family says they already had a bad feeling about the outcome of the search for Sierra. Her brother and fiancé say a close friend told them Sierra was burned and gave them the address of a home on the 3800 block of Avenue T NW in Winter Haven. It’s in an area where deputies were searching for at least one of Sierra’s accused killers, 26-year-old Enrique Martinez.
"He witnessed her. She was tied up, drugged up and he told Enrique, 'Man y'all are playing let that girl go. Untie her!' They told him no and then he’s like, 'What are y'all gonna do with her?' Enrique told my friend’s buddy that they were going to kill her," Merrill said.
That’s when the four of them and their close friend Kalob Ashley went searching for Sierra, only to find what they say was a burned area in the backyard.
"We found a burned area that was fairly big like a dome, and it had...aluminum on it like they were trying to keep heat in there is what we stumbled across. We saw something on that that we can’t say what it was, but we’re assuming we knew what it was. We had to leave right after that because we heard sirens coming. We got in the car to leave and that’s when the cops pulled up, threw us on the ground, and put guns in our face threatening to shoot us. They held us at gunpoint saying we were disturbing a crime scene, but no one ever said it was a crime scene and nothing was taped off” Shawn said.
All five people ended up in jail charged with armed burglary and tampering with evidence. After six days there and multiple calls from the community, the State Attorney’s office dropped all charges.
“I’m glad we did what we did because then right after that they searched. They finally searched and that’s where they found her. We got justice for Sierra, but it’s a shame it took 5 people,” Christopher said.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced on Monday that detectives found Sierra's body. According to the sheriff's office, she was murdered by 26-year-old Enrique Martinez.
After a months-long manhunt, Martinez was taken into custody Tuesday near State Road 540 and Cooley Road in the Eagle Lake area. Despite his capture, the family says it isn’t enough.
“He’s going to sit for the rest of his life in prison breathing, our daughter is dead. It isn’t fair. It won’t fix it. It won’t bring Sierra back,” Shawn said.
Martinez was not just wanted in connection to the murder of Sierra Hernandez; he's also accused of killing 33-year-old Edil Fernando Rodriguez Jr. back on Nov. 8.
Both the Hernandez and Rodriguez families expressed relief in learning he was arrested.
"I feel a little bit at peace knowing that he's not out there to hurt anybody else and my brother is finally going to get the justice he deserves, but I'm also angry. Had they done what they did to find Sierra back then, my brother would be gone, but maybe she would still be here" Melissa Rodriguez, Edil's sister, said.
Enrique Martinez made his first appearance in court on Wednesday morning and is being held in no bond.