The Forgotten Mother: Evelyn Hernandez

Evelyn Hernandez was born in El Salvador during the civil war. When she was still an infant, her mother fled to the United States, leaving her behind. For fourteen years, Evelyn grew up without her mother, supported by relatives in a war-torn country. When they finally reunited in San Francisco’s Mission District, their relationship was strained. Evelyn later described her mother as more like a ghost than somebody she knew and loved.¹

Despite the difficulties, Evelyn found her footing. She enrolled at McAteer High School, where she discovered a passion for theater under teacher Berta Hernandez’s guidance. Evelyn helped adapt Romeo and Juliet to reflect immigrant struggles and took extra English classes to improve her language skills. Berta became more than a teacher – she became Evelyn’s mentor and friend.²

At seventeen, Evelyn became pregnant. Her mother disapproved, so Evelyn moved out to prepare for her son’s arrival. In 1999, she gave birth to Alexis, nicknamed Alex. His father, a Navy serviceman, had left San Francisco before learning of the pregnancy. Evelyn embraced single motherhood with determination, dedicating herself entirely to her son’s wellbeing.³

Money was perpetually tight. Evelyn worked multiple jobs – as a drugstore clerk, nurse’s assistant, and server at the upscale Clift Hotel – while she and Alex moved between small rented rooms in cramped apartments. Without a car, she took buses to work and walked Alex to school daily. Her entire life revolved around giving her son the opportunities she’d never had.

In 1998, Evelyn met Herman Aguilera, a 36-year-old mechanic for United Airlines who also worked as a freelance limousine driver. Their friendship evolved into romance, and Herman paid for Evelyn’s apartment in the Crocker Amazon neighborhood. Toward the end of 2001, Evelyn discovered she was pregnant with Herman’s child – a boy she planned to name Fernando.⁴

The pregnancy proved difficult, forcing Evelyn to leave her hotel job and go on disability in early 2002. On April 30, 2002, just a week before her due date, Herman bought Alex a new bed from Ikea. That evening, he met Evelyn at San Francisco General Hospital after a routine prenatal exam, drove her home, assembled the bed, and picked up Alex from school.

On the morning of 1 May, 2002, Evelyn called her sister Olivia in Virginia, complaining of abdominal pain. Despite not feeling well, she had no one else to take Alex to school. Later that morning, she took a bus to the bank, shopped at Ross Dress for Less, and picked up her mail, including her disability benefits check. At 9PM, she spoke with her other sister, Reina, in good spirits about her upcoming baby shower.⁵

The next morning, Alex never arrived at school. Evelyn’s sisters tried repeatedly to contact her but received no response. On 7 May, Herman reported Evelyn and Alex missing, claiming the last time he’d spoken with her was 30 April. He told detectives there were no problems in their relationship and that he’d checked local hospitals, fearing she’d gone into labor.

When detectives searched Evelyn’s apartment, they found her and Alex’s passports, suggesting they hadn’t traveled far voluntarily. But there was no sign of struggle or plans to leave, only deepening mystery.

On 14 May, a man discovered a woman’s wallet near a canal in South San Francisco. It contained cash and Evelyn’s disability check. Because police hadn’t yet publicized the disappearance, he spent weeks trying to contact Evelyn before finally turning the wallet over to police on 31 May. Detectives searched the area and the shallow canal leading to the bay, but sniffer dogs found no scent.⁶

It wasn’t until 11 June, over a month after the disappearance, that police publicly announced they suspected foul play. Captain Bill Davenport of the Juvenile Division stated, “We’re definitely concerned there might be foul play – they have just vanished.”

As the investigation progressed, detectives uncovered troubling details. Herman Aguilera was married. Evelyn had only discovered this four months into her pregnancy, learning the truth from Herman’s mother. While Evelyn had been overjoyed about the baby, Herman showed little enthusiasm.⁷

The revelation devastated Evelyn. Just before the disappearance, Herman told her he had no intention of leaving his wife. Evelyn ended the relationship but told him he could visit his son after the birth. Herman had initially denied any relationship problems but later admitted Evelyn had called things off.⁸

Suspicion naturally fell on Herman. He was a married man facing fatherhood with his girlfriend – a situation with obvious motive. Detectives discovered that on the night of Evelyn’s last phone call, Herman repeatedly tried to reach her. Though he initially denied going near her apartment, he later admitted driving within two blocks before deciding she was avoiding him and returning home. Notably, Evelyn’s purse was found just two blocks from Herman’s limousine company workplace.

On 31 July, a woman’s torso and legs washed ashore along the Embarcadero, dressed in a maternity blouse. On 4 September, DNA testing confirmed the remains belonged to Evelyn Hernandez. Due to advanced decomposition, the cause of death could not be determined, nor could experts establish whether she’d given birth or if the baby had been expelled in a coffin birth.⁹

Herman refused public comment, but his attorney released a statement expressing sadness and cooperation with the investigation. However, Herman had actually stopped cooperating with detectives, admitting he wanted to hide the pregnancy from his wife, who knew about the affair but not about the baby.

Evelyn’s loved ones held a memorial service in San Francisco that drew barely 100 people. Then something remarkable happened: their story was replaced entirely by another case.

In December 2002, Laci Peterson disappeared from Modesto, California. She was eight months pregnant, had a husband named Scott, and vanished while walking her dog. Her case immediately flooded the media.

The parallels were striking. Both women were eight months pregnant with boys. Both cases suggested foul play early on. Both husbands were having affairs. Yet the coverage was dramatically different.¹⁰

Laci’s disappearance prompted numerous press conferences and vigils attended by hundreds. Before Scott Peterson was even arrested, The Chronicle published 32 articles about Laci – four on the front page. They published just four about Evelyn and Alex, none making the front page. By April 22, 2003, Google News showed over 3,000 stories about Laci and only four about Evelyn.¹¹

Laci’s case had a $500,000 reward fund. Evelyn’s had none. Evelyn’s loved ones repeatedly tried to get America’s Most Wanted to feature her case but were rejected because no warrant had been issued – yet the show covered Laci’s case when no suspects had been named either.¹²

The differences between the two women’s circumstances were profound. Laci came from a respected, middle-class family and was seen as an all-American girl next door. Her family was vocal, well-connected, and media-savvy. Evelyn was an immigrant, poor, with limited English. Most of her family lived in El Salvador. Her two sisters in the United States spoke limited English and knew little about U.S. law; one was deaf and mute. Most of Evelyn’s friends spoke only Spanish.¹³

Inspector Holly Pera, who took over Evelyn’s case, admitted they should have gone public sooner but initially assumed Evelyn had left voluntarily. Later, Pera acknowledged the uncomfortable truth: “The majority of the country—media feels they’re better able to relate to Laci Peterson than to Evelyn Hernandez. That is probably the largest reason why the case was more interesting to the public.”

Evelyn’s friend Twiggy Damy put it more bluntly: “This girl, Laci, she’s white, they have money, and there is a family behind her. Who cares about Evelyn?”

In April 2003, Laci’s body and that of her unborn son washed ashore. Scott Peterson was arrested, tried, and convicted of their murders. His case dominated headlines for years.

Evelyn and Alex’s case faded from newspapers. On the one-year anniversary of their disappearance, friends held a press conference, burned incense at the site where Evelyn’s body was found, and tossed flowers into the bay. Evelyn’s sister Reina noted that Evelyn and Herman fought often before the disappearance and called him “very unlikeable,” though she stopped short of direct accusation.

Detectives never officially named Herman a suspect. His wife reportedly provided an alibi, claiming he was home with her when Evelyn and Alex disappeared, though details were never made public.

More than two decades have passed. Alex and Evelyn’s unborn son Fernando remain missing, presumed dead. No arrests have ever been made.

If you have information about the disappearance of Evelyn Hernandez and Alex Hernandez, please contact the SFPD Homicide Detail at 415-553-1145 or the anonymous tip line at 415-553-1166.

1. San Francisco Chronicle, 11 June, 2002 – “Police Suspect Foul Play”
2. The Mercury News, 12 June, 2002 – “S.F. Police Seek Woman, Son, Missing Since May”
3. San Mateo County Times, 13 June, 2002 – “San Francisco”
4. San Francisco Chronicle, 29 June, 2002 – “Foul Play Feared for Vanished Mother”
5. San Francisco Chronicle, 31 July, 2002 – “Remains May be S.F. Woman Who Vanished”
6. The Mercury News, 4 September, 2002 – “Missing S.F. Woman’s Torso Found in the Bay”
7. San Francisco Chronicle, 4 September, 2002 – “Torso in Bay is Identified”
8. The Modesto Bee, 3 March, 2003 – “Pregnancy Key in Missing Case?
9. The Mercury News, 20 April, 2003 – “Eerie Similarities in San Francisco”
10. San Francisco Chronicle, 21 April, 2003 – “Eerily Similar Case Languishes in Obscurity”
11. The O’Reilly Factor, 22 April, 2003 – “Unresolved Problems”
12. Philadelphia Daily News, 23 April, 2003 – “2 Missing, Pregnant Women”
13. Associated Press, 3 May, 2003 – “Not Forgotten”