5 key details about Evelyn Hernandez's murder

Evelyn Hernandez, a 24-year-old Salvadoran immigrant and single mother, vanished from San Francisco on May 1, 2002, days before she was due to give birth. Her disappearance, along with her 6-year-old son Alex, sparked concern but received limited media attention at the time.

Weeks later, Evelyn's partial remains surfaced in San Francisco Bay, missing several body parts. However, Alex and her unborn son were never located.

Evelyn’s case soon drew comparisons to another high-profile tragedy from the same year, Laci Peterson’s murder. Peterson, a married woman who also disappeared while pregnant, received widespread national coverage, unlike Evelyn’s case, which remained largely overshadowed.

Investigators questioned Herman Aguilera, the father of Evelyn’s unborn child, but he was never named a suspect and later ceased cooperating. Years later, the Hulu docuseries Murder Has Two Faces, in its episode titled Motherhood Interrupted, which premiered on May 6, 2025, revisited Evelyn Hernandez’s unsolved murder.

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5 key insights about Evelyn Hernandez's murder explored

1) Evelyn Hernandez disappeared days before she was due to give birth

Evelyn Hernandez, a 24-year-old mother, went missing in San Francisco on May 1, 2002. She was eight months pregnant and set to welcome her second child soon. After a routine day spent picking up her son Alex and handling errands, she simply vanished. Her absence raised alarms when she failed to attend her own baby shower hosted by her sister on May 3.

Evelyn’s wallet was later found in South San Francisco, near a canal. As a Forbes report dated May 6, 2025, noted, robbery was ruled out after cash and a check remained untouched inside. The initial investigation was slow to gain traction, with homicide detectives only becoming heavily involved after the discovery of her wallet.

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2) Evelyn Hernandez’s remains were discovered months later, but key pieces were missing

On July 24, 2002, parts of Evelyn’s body were found in San Francisco Bay, but her head and several limbs were missing, making it difficult to determine the cause of death. Her son Alex and unborn child Fernando remain missing.

According to the Forbes report, Evelyn’s body was “in an advanced stage of decomposition.” The similarities between her remains and those of Laci Peterson, who was also found in the same bay months later, stirred public discussion and speculation.

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3) Evelyn Hernandez’s relationship with Herman Aguilera came under scrutiny

Police questioned Herman Aguilera, who was expecting a child with Hernandez, during the investigation. Aguilera, who was married, admitted he had spoken to Evelyn the day she disappeared but claimed not to have seen her afterwards.

His workplace was close to where Evelyn’s wallet was found. Though Aguilera’s marriage was hidden from Evelyn until she was four months pregnant, authorities said he was never named a suspect or person of interest. He later hired a lawyer and stopped cooperating with police. His current whereabouts remain unknown.

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4) Evelyn Hernandez’s case received significantly less media attention than Laci Peterson’s

Scott Peterson Trial Hits Day Three (Representative image via Getty)

While the nation closely followed Laci Peterson’s murder case, Evelyn Hernandez’s story faded into obscurity. Advocates and family members argued that Evelyn’s background played a role in this disparity. As Olivia Hernandez, Evelyn’s sister, told People report dated July 7, 2003:

“The police and journalists ignored my sister because she was poor and from El Salvador... She wasn’t middle-class and married, like Laci Peterson.”

The lack of early media attention and limited investigative resources have since been scrutinized in Murder Has Two Faces, which highlights how systemic factors may have contributed to the case remaining unsolved.

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5) The case remains unsolved and still haunts investigators and loved ones

Decades later, Evelyn Hernandez’s murder remains unsolved. The San Francisco Police Department’s Cold Case Unit continues to seek answers, with hopes that advances in DNA technology could eventually provide a breakthrough.

Robin Roberts, the host of the docuseries, told People, as per a report dated May 5, 2025:

“It should not matter what you look like. Everyone who is a victim of a crime is deserving of justice.”

Authorities urge anyone with information to come forward. Meanwhile, Murder Has Two Faces, now streaming on Hulu, serves as a platform to revive public interest and push for justice.

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Stay tuned for more updates.