Search underway for 17-year-old Briana Guerra, related to Soto-Guerra shooting victims

SAN ANTONIO — The mother of a missing 17-year-old girl last seen Monday morning said she begged police not to arrest her daughter, who has had a history of mental health concerns and requires medication.

Briana Guerra was last seen at 8 a.m. Monday in the 1100 block of West Commerce Street, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Briana is the sister Matthew Guerra, who was shot and killed with his pregnant girlfriend Savanah Soto in December 2023.

Briana’s mother, Raquel Guerra, said her daughter has never been arrested but did run away from home once in the summer of 2024, about six months after her brother was killed. Her mother said she has now been without her medications for 72 hours.

Her mother said her daughter was experiencing a mental health episode on Saturday when she went to pick her up from a teen event at Community Bible Church.

“We begged them not to arrest her,” Raquel Guerra said. She was told by police that because of her age she had to be arrested on a family violence charge. “The jail assured us that she would only be released to her dad or me.”

Briana is a 10th grader at Southwest Preparatory School and also takes some college classes at Texas A&M San Antonio.

She is described as 5’6, 130 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt, jean shorts, blue crocs, and has a marigold flower with roman numeral tattoo on her left arm.

If you have any information on her whereabouts, contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office issued the following statement…

Because the individual was last seen on our property and within our jurisdiction at the time of her departure, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is the lead handling agency for the missing person investigation. Our investigators are working diligently to locate her and ensure her safety.

It is important to clarify that while we are the handling agency for the missing person case, the BCSO was not the initial arresting agency. The original arrest and the specific details of that criminal case were handled by the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD). Any inquiries regarding the circumstances of the arrest itself should be directed to their public information office.

Under Texas law, individuals who are 17 years of age are classified as adults for criminal jurisdictional purposes. Consequently, they are subject to standard adult regulations upon entering the Bexar County Jail. This legal status means a 17-year-old is not required to have a parent or guardian present at the facility to be released once they have met the legal requirements for release.

The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is legally prohibited from holding any individual including 17-year-olds, longer than their authorized detention period allows. Once an individual has been legally cleared for release, the BCSO must process that release according to state law and facility protocol.

While we are concerned that the individual is missing after departing our property, the BCSO does not have the legal authority to prolong custodial detention or involuntary oversight once a legal release has been triggered.

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

We remain committed to our search efforts and will provide updates as they become available.