A youth soccer coach from the Los Angeles area has been charged with the murder of a 13-year-old boy, raising serious concerns about his past interactions with minors. Mario Edgardo Garcia Aquino, 43, faces charges related to the death of Oscar Omar Hernandez, whose body was discovered along a road in Oxnard.
Garcia Aquino was arrested after police linked him to the boy’s disappearance. Hernandez’s family reported him missing on March 30, after he had gone to visit the coach at his home in Lancaster. The boy was last seen taking a train to the Antelope Valley the day before. When his family tried to reach him, Garcia Aquino answered the phone, claiming the boy was busy. Later, the boy’s father insisted that the coach return Hernandez home, but the situation took a tragic turn.
Investigators used cellphone data and other tracking methods to find Hernandez’s body near North Harbor Boulevard. The cause of death has not been revealed, but the case has drawn attention to Garcia Aquino’s troubling history. He was previously investigated for alleged misconduct with minors, including a 2024 incident where he was charged with assault with intent to commit rape against a 16-year-old boy. In another case from 2022, he was suspected of sexual assault against a minor, but no charges were filed after the victim declined to testify.
Garcia Aquino has been involved in coaching youth soccer, working with various age groups in the Hurricane Valley boys soccer club. Both alleged victims were connected to his coaching activities. He has not yet entered a plea regarding the current charges, which include one count of murder with special circumstances and other sexual offenses.
Adding to the complexity of the case, multiple law enforcement sources indicate that Garcia Aquino is an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has criticized his presence in the country, labeling him a “depraved illegal alien.”
As the investigation continues, the community is left grappling with the shocking events surrounding the death of a young boy and the troubling history of a coach who was supposed to be a mentor.