Human remains found in Seguin connected to homicide investigation of 16-year-old

SEGUIN – A body recently discovered in Seguin has been connected to a homicide investigation. The decomposed remains of 16-year-old Benjamin “Tank” Loera from Vanderbilt, Texas, was identified using dental records. Three people, including a 15-year-old girl, are currently in custody on charges related to his disappearance.

On Monday, Dec. 20, a man intending to purchase the property on FM 1117 near the Guadalupe River bridge found human remains and called 911, according to the Seguin Gazette. The body was found in a brushy area and was initially unable to be identified.

On Dec. 27, the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Texas Rangers in Victoria, Texas, that the human remains had been identified as Lorena.

According to the GCSO, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers have been investigating the disappearance of Lorena since Oct. 26, 2021. Lorena’s death is being ruled as a homicide, and three people are in custody in Jackson County on charges relating to Benjamin’s disappearance.

Kyler Ray Rector, 19, and Casey Wayne Jenschke, 23, of Lolita, were charged with suspicion of aggravated assault with intent to commit serious bodily injury and aggravated kidnapping in November. The third person detained on the same charges is a 15-year-old girl booked in the Victoria County Juvenile Detention Center, according to reporting by the Victoria Advocate.

“Jackson County SO, Texas Rangers, Guadalupe County SO, and the Texas Travis County Medical Examiners Officer were able to bring closure to Loera’s Mother, as the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office was able to use dental records to positively identify the victim to be Benjamin Loera,” the JCSO said in a public statement.

This is an ongoing investigation, San Marcos Corridor News will provide updates as they become available.