A local mother is holding out hope that her son who has been missing for six months is alive, but says she fears he could be one of two people found dead at a park in Fairfax County.
On Friday, police said they found the remains of two people in Holmes Run Park in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. The remains, which have not been identified, have been at the park for less than a year, police said.
Sergio Arita Triminio, 14, has been missing since September 2016.
Sergio's mother, Karla Triminio, told News4 she is waiting to find out if the remains found in the park belong to him.
"Very much sadness waiting to know something about my son," Triminio, who speaks Spanish, told News4 through a translator.
Triminio lives in an apartment not far from the park. She said one night in September Sergio walked to a dumpster outside their apartment to throw out the trash.
"He never came back," Triminio said.
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Police believe the deaths at Holmes Run Park are likely gang-related killings. In 2014, the bodies of two men were found in the park and the gang members who committed those crimes were convicted last year and are serving life sentences.
Triminio said her son is not involved with gangs.
"I think anyone in my position would be worried, and as a mother, I want to believe that my son would be fine," Triminio said. "I hope to know that he is somewhere safe."
Another missing teen, 17-year-old Edvin Escobar Mendez, also hasn't been seen since last fall.
Police are waiting for the medical examiner's report to see if they can identify the remains. There is no word on how long that will take.
