A 21-year-old hurricane volunteer went to Florida to help with clean up. But he ended up vanishing and mysteriously dying while in the Sunshine State.
The parents of hurricane volunteer Ernesto Jacob Mederos became extremely worried when he stopped answering his phone. They hadn't heard from him since November 13. Mederos was traveling with his new boss Phillip Garner, who he had only met a week earlier. Garner hired Mederos to do "security work" in Texas.
However, Garner had past troubles with the law and is a register sex offender. In 2007, courts convicted him of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. Fast forward to this week, and authorities say that they discovered the hurricane volunteer's body in Florida. At this time, it's unknown exactly what happened and what caused his death.
Hurricane Volunteer Goes Missing
His family wants answers. Prior to his disappearance, Medros reportedly told his mother that he felt distressed and was trying to come home. He had went to Florida to "work in construction." His mother thought her "'son was in safe hands and ... would be back in two weeks." But that doesn't appear to be the case.
The two left on November 10 for Florida. Fast forward to November 13, and the hurricane volunteer called saying he wanted to come home. However, he grew increasingly distressed and said he was going to kill himself. What happened after that remains a mystery and requires investigation.
His family set up a GoFundMe to help with expenses for burying her son. "Jacob was an amazing young man with a pure spirit and kind heart. His mother cannot afford to have a funeral for him without our help," it said. "This is a beautiful family that truly deserves our help. No mother should have to worry about not being able to bury their son."
Right now, there's a lot of mystery around what exactly happened. Prior to his death, he was in Sarasota County traveling with Garner. His family wants answers from Garner on their son's final days. We'll keep you updated as the case evolves and more information comes alight.
