Cause of Death Revealed for Boy, 13, Allegedly Killed by Soccer Coach

The cause of death of Oscar Omar Hernandez, the 13-year-old boy who was found dead after allegedly being killed by his soccer coach, has reportedly been revealed.

The body of Hernandez was found in a ditch in Oxnard, Calif., on April 2. He had been reported missing by his family when he didn’t return home on March 28, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division previously told PEOPLE.

The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Hernandez died of acute alcohol intoxication, the Los Angeles Times, CBS News and ABC 7 reported. The manner of death was ruled as homicide, according to the outlets.

Soccer coach Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino, 43, is alleged to have killed Hernandez. Hernandez was allegedly last seen with Garcia-Aquino on March 28, before he boarded a Metrolink train to Palmdale, Calif., his family said, per ABC 7. 

Garcia-Aquino allegedly killed Hernandez that same day, according to Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman. The coach was charged in April with special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of lewd acts with a child, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Garcia-Aquino was also charged in an unrelated case with one felony count of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense after he allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old boy in Palmdale on Feb. 22, 2024. He is also accused of sexually assaulting a teenager in Sylmar, Calif., in 2022, per L.A. Times.

Hernandez’s sister Alejandra claimed that he went with Garcia-Aquino to “help make soccer jerseys” on the day he went missing, per CBS News. When family members tried calling Hernandez, the coach answered the phone, saying that he “couldn’t answer because his hands were full of paint,” she told the outlet.

According to Hernandez’s family, Garcia-Aquino was “expected to drive him home the next morning.” They later received a text from Hernandez’s phone which read, “I’m going to a party,” and a following text saying that he was in North Hollywood and refused to be picked up, CBS News reported.

Hernandez’s family’s attorney Michael Carrillo said in a statement, per L.A. Times, “The tragedy and trauma with the release of information continues for this family. 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’s] son is gone forever.”

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Garcia-Aquino pleaded not guilty in court on June 18. He is due back in court in August, per CBS News and L.A. Times. He faces a death penalty sentence or life without the possibility of parole following his charges, according to reports.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office for comment.