In a quiet corner of South Nashville, a mystery began to unfold that started with an abandoned vehicle and ended with the grim discovery of a life cut short. Orlando Hernandez, a 58-year-old man, had not been seen for several weeks, a silence that was unsettling to those who knew him. His Chevrolet Blazer sat idle at his Tusculum Road residence, a silent testament to his absence. On December 15, 2023, at the request of his landlord, the SUV was towed away, believed to be abandoned.
For nearly two weeks, the vehicle sat on the lot of a local wrecker service, holding a secret that would soon shock the community.
It was on December 27, 2023, that the truth was finally revealed. An employee of the wrecker service, while inspecting the interior of the Blazer, made a horrifying discovery in the rear of the vehicle. Concealed within was the body of Orlando Hernandez. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department was immediately called to the scene, and what was initially a missing person's case quickly escalated into a homicide investigation. An examination by the Medical Examiner's Office would later confirm that Hernandez had been shot multiple times.
The investigation into Hernandez's death was a complex undertaking for Nashville detectives, spanning several months and eventually crossing state lines. The case, led by Detective Kyle Eicholtz, slowly pieced together the final moments of Hernandez's life. Investigators determined that he had not been killed in his vehicle, but rather at a residence in the 3700 block of N. Natchez Court. Police believe the motive for the killing was drug-related. After the murder, his body was placed in his own SUV and left at his home until it was towed.
The diligent work of law enforcement led to a significant breakthrough in July 2024. The Davidson County Grand Jury returned a first-degree murder indictment against 38-year-old Jose Pablo Zavala for the killing of Orlando Hernandez. Zavala was located and taken into custody in Dallas, Texas. Another individual, 31-year-old Rosa Carol Torres, was also indicted in connection with the case. She faces charges of evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse for her alleged role in assisting with the disposal of Hernandez's body. Torres was taken into custody in Wilson County. Zavala is awaiting extradition back to Nashville to face trial for his alleged role in the murder that brought a tragic and unexpected end to the life of Orlando Hernandez.
