A nursery teacher has been found dead and buried in a shallow grave a day after she was reported missing by her employer.
Authorities recovered the body of Luz Hernandez, 33, in a remote part of a New Jersey town in the US after police were called for a welfare check at her home.
She was exhumed by "what appeared to be a shallow grave," in Kearny, a semi-desolate industrial area in New Jersey, and was pronounced dead at the scene, a statement from the prosecutor’s office read.
Hernandez was a mother of three and a teacher and a teacher at BelovED Charter School.
Authorities said her death is "considered suspicious," while an investigation into her murder and an autopsy is ongoing.
Police also found "blood splatters" on the door of her apartment.
Hernandez did not show up to work on Monday, prompting her employer to contact the police, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office said.
She started working at the school after graduating from Saint Peter’s University in 2017, according to NJ.com. She initially worked as a teacher’s assistant.
The founder of the school praised the woman as a "wonderful" and "beloved" teacher.
Bret Schunder said of Hernandez: "People loved her. She was a wonderful co-worker. She was a beloved member of the BelovED family. People are feeling devastated by this."
Schundler added that the school would do whatever it could to support her family. The school was closed Wednesday as a gesture to honour Hernandez's loss.
Hernandez's family was left devastated and "heartbroken" by the news.
"We love her, her family, the friends. She was an amazing girl and it’s so unfair somebody takes away the life from her. Why?" said a cousin who didn't wish to be identified, NBC New York reported.
"She was one of the best teachers, everybody loves her, all the kids. It’s just like, so complicated to think about this. We just want justice."
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit, the Jersey City Police Department and the Kearny Police Department are continuing to investigate her death.
The prosecutor's office did not say what evidence led them to the grave.
Further details on the circumstances under which she died were not released, and no suspect has been arrested as of yet.
Authorities called anyone with information that may assist the investigation to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at (+1)201-915-1345.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted online at the Hudson County Prosecutor Office website. All information will be kept confidential.
