POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced on Monday evening that the sheriff’s office is searching for a suspect in a missing woman’s case.
In a release, deputies said that the missing woman is 20-year-old Sierra Hernandez, and her disappearance was reported on Jan. 14.
“We became aware of, with a report to us, that she was missing and had been missing for a period of time, and her family was concerned,” Judd said in a news conference.
As part of the case, the sheriff’s office began searching for Hernandez’s vehicle, and it was ultimately determined that she had been murdered, Judd added.
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According to Judd, detectives are now seeking a suspect in her case, Enrique Martinez, 26.
Martinez — who is also known by his nickname, “Kiki” — already faces a first-degree murder charge, with an arrest warrant stemming from a homicide in November 2023, the release shows.
In that case, a homeless man was killed in a camp at 2nd Eloise Terrace in Winter Haven, the sheriff’s office stated.
However, Martinez — who is homeless — has been difficult to find because his family and friends have been “hiding” him, according to Judd.
“We have been actively pursuing Enrique Martinez — Kiki — since we determined that he was the one that viciously shot and killed someone in a homeless camp,” Judd said. “The investigation is underway to look for him, (which is) when Sierra was reported to us.”
Judd said during the conference that Hernandez’s body had been recovered, but additional information would be shared at a later time.
“There is information that we know, and we don’t want to confirm it here because some of those that we need to talk to, some of the other suspects are still at large,” he explained. “We don’t want someone to say, ‘Well, we saw this when the sheriff talked about it.’ We want to hear it from their own lips.”
Detectives said that Martinez has a “very lengthy and violent criminal history” stretching back to 2011, consisting of 13 felonies and 15 misdemeanors.
He spent five years in prison after “stabbing an ex-girlfriend in the face,” though he was eventually released in November 2022, Judd stated.
The sheriff’s office described Martinez as having brown eyes and black hair, and he was most recently seen in the Inwood area of Winter Haven.
Martinez reportedly has a tattoo on his left wrist that says “W7″ and another on the left side of his neck that reads “Natalia.”
According to detectives, there is a $10,000 reward for information leading to the Martinez’s arrest through Heartland Crime Stoppers by calling (888) 400-8477.
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