Matilde Gonzalez Hernandez, 42, was last seen on the evening of October 11, 2019, in Powder Springs, Cobb County, after a reported physical altercation. Her family reported her missing two days later when contact ceased. She was described as about 4 feet 11 inches, 130 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes and tattooed eyebrows. Investigators initially suspected foul play.

The case was handled by the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation before being assigned to the Cobb County Police Cold Case Unit. In September 2023, a search warrant in Powder Springs led to the arrest of three people: Alejandra Castro, 41, and her 20-year-old daughter Samantha Vasquez, charged with malice murder, and Alejandra’s husband Abel Castro, 45, charged with concealing a death and cruelty to a child. Authorities allege Matilde was killed during a fight at a residence, her body was disposed of, and the suspects misled her child by claiming she had abandoned him and arranging a call from a Mexican phone number while pretending to be Matilde.

Matilde’s body has not been recovered and the search for her remains continues. Did anyone in Powder Springs or Paulding County know Matilde or see anything the night of October 11, 2019?