GARLAND, TX — A recent high school graduate from Rowlett has been missing for over a week, just days before she was supposed to leave for her freshman year of college, and her family is pleading with the public for help.
Camila Fuentes graduated from Hockaday High School with a scholarship to Villanova University, where she planned to study civil engineering. She and her family had a cross-country road trip planned before her classes were set to begin this Wednesday.
But the night before they were supposed to hit the road, Camila never made it home.
Her family says they eventually found her car sitting in an empty parking lot outside Cheddar’s Restaurant in North Garland, where she worked. Her phone and keys were still inside. It was already past 1 a.m. on Thursday, August 13, by the time they went out looking for her.
“I can’t breathe sometimes,” her mother, Diana Decanini, said. “I need my baby.”
A Bright Future, Cut Short — For Now
Sitting down with her mother, father and older sister, the family paged through Camila’s senior yearbook, remembering a girl they describe as driven and full of life. She played multiple sports, was part of her school’s orchestra, and even coached a youth soccer team during high school.
That’s part of what makes her disappearance so hard to understand, they say. There were no warning signs — no signs of depression, no indication anything was wrong.
“I still feel like I’m dreaming and that I’m going to wake up tomorrow and she’s going to call me,” said Clarissa Fuentes, Camila’s older sister.
Back at their home, Camila’s boxes for college still sit packed in the corner of the living room, untouched.
Passport and Birth Certificate Missing Too
The Rowlett Police Department issued a missing person alert last week and is asking anyone with information to come forward.
Adding to the mystery, Camila’s family says her passport and birth certificate are missing from the lock box where she normally kept them — details that have only deepened their fear and confusion about what happened to her.
“My daughter doesn’t believe that bad people exist in the world,” Decanini said. “I think someone is taking advantage of her goodness.”
Investigation Underway
Multiple detectives with the Rowlett Police Department are now actively working the case, according to the family. They say they’ve handed over Camila’s phone and other personal belongings to investigators to help move the search forward.
For now, the Fuentes family is left waiting, hoping, and asking the community to keep an eye out.
“We just have to know that she’s okay,” said Camila’s father, John Fuentes. “And we want her back.”
Anyone with information about Camila Fuentes’ whereabouts is urged to contact the Rowlett Police Department.