Post by HeadMarshal on Aug 28, 2013 10:20:14 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: Unsolved Wikia)
Fugitive Profile as of December 3rd, 2017: (Based on Unsolved Mysteries website profile):
Gender: Female
DOB: 1/20/64
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 130 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Defining Characteristics: Speaks broken English and has what appears to be burn scars on her right upper forearm.
Maria Rosa Hernandez has been wanted by Los Angeles authorities for over 20 years. She was featured on Unsolved Mysteries and was possibly aired on AMW based on a msn.tv Mar 12, 1993 episode bio mentioning, "Couple hires homicidal nanny".
In 1988, Jeff and Sharon Berman were searching for a live-in nanny for their two-year old daughter Ashley when Maria Hernandez applied for the job. Maria was highly recommended by neighbors and at first seemed to be doing an excellent job. Things went well for a year until Ashley's parents noticed suspicious injuries which Ashley claimed happened at school. Things got worse when Maria claimed Ashley was suffering from seizures and periodic black-outs. A few months after that on Jul 5, 1990, Ashley was rushed to an emergency room where she was pale and at the brink of death.
After a week of recovery, Ashley confessed to her parents and doctors that Maria had been physically abusing her, everything from; being pushed down stairs; poking earrings through her nails, and having her head constantly banged against walls, doors and wooden floors. Things got more shocking when Ashley's doctor recalled treating a 17-month old boy two years earlier who eventually died from a fractured skull and eternal bleeding. The boy's caregiver was Maria Rosa Hernandez. Charged with murder and child abuse, Maria pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child abuse. Despite protests from the Bermans, Maria was released from custody and went on the run.
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Thoughts? Maria Hernandez was born in El Salvador so there's a good chance she fled back there and never returned to the US. Sadly with the amount of time that's passed, I'm not very optimistic that El Salvadoran authorities will look for a fugitive child abuser rather than a gang member or drug dealer, especially if the fugitive has been wanted for 22 years.
Also does anyone agree that the fugitive mentioned on the Mar 12, 1993 AMW episode was Hernandez? AMW never gave many full profiles for caregivers wanted for child abuse and/or murder (except for say Berny Figueroa), but judging by the severity of this case, I feel they would have wanted to give this case a shot. Also the episode I mentioned aired two years after Hernandez went on the run, which is sort of the normal amount of time it takes AMW to air a fugitive. Plus the episode bio mentions the "couple hires a homicidal nanny", keep in mind that Maria killed the 17-month old boy before she was hired by the Bermans. I admit there's no hard evidence to suggest she was aired on AMW, but there's a good chance she was.
www.unsolved.com/wanted.html
tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/america's-most-wanted/?ipp=40&si=201
unsolvedmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Maria_Hernandez (UPDATE from site admin: As of July 23rd, 2018, Unsolved Mysteries still lists Maria Rosa Hernandez as "Results: Wanted"
Admin Note #1: Based on wanted location, our advice for anyone with information on the whereabouts of Maria Rosa Hernandez would be to call Los Angeles Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit a web tip to them at the following link: www.tipsubmit.com/webtips.aspx?AgencyID=365&DSID=365
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
