Luis Antonio Mendez Hernandez, a 19-year-old man in Frisco, Colorado, faces three murder counts and one count of tampering with a deceased human body for allegedly killing and dismembering his girlfriend, Griselda Amarilis Lopez-Racancoj (also mother of their child).
Incident Timeline
Police responded to a “medical emergency” call just after midnight on December 29, 2025, at a local residence. First responders found Lopez-Racancoj’s dismembered body stuffed in a white trash bag under the shared bed. Roommates reported her breakup with Hernandez on December 27 after an argument; she wasn’t seen after. Hernandez had visible neck/chest scratches that morning.
Search revealed a bloody 6-inch steak knife in his closet and pillows with blood patterns suggesting smothering. He sent roommates odd texts December 28 claiming she was suicidal but dodged questions about her location.
Interrogation Details
Post-Miranda, Hernandez claimed he came home December 27 around 11 p.m., slept beside her, woke at 3 a.m. to feed their baby, then found her cold/dead. He blamed “shock,” fear of blame, harassment by another man, or suicide—refusing injury details and calling his scratches self-inflicted. Instead of calling 911, he hid the body (initially in a blanket), googled body disposal methods, and suggested she killed herself to police.
Charges and Status
Held in Summit County Jail on $5 million bond since December 29 arrest; next court date February 9, 2026. Charges: first-degree murder after deliberation, first-degree with extreme indifference, second-degree murder (per CRS 18-3-102/103), plus tampering (CRS 18-8-610.5). Lopez-Racancoj had a restraining order against him; friends fund efforts to send her body home.
