JP Fernandez’s body is home; family thanks NJ detectives
By Cristina DC Pastor
“After 3,258 days of searching and praying, our beloved son John Paul Fernandez, who had been missing since December 13, 2015, was found on November 14, 2024 — after nearly nine long years. His identity was confirmed through DNA testing on October 14, 2025.”
With these tearful words from mother Ninia Fernandez, the family’s harrowing search for JP comes to a sad close.
JP was the Seton Hall student who went missing since December 13, 2015, a victim of bullying from high school all the way to college, according to his mother. The third of four children, he was described as a “socially awkward” individual who was “very bright,” and loved to read manga comic books. He was a Seton Hall scholar, majoring in Accounting, and was due to graduate in May of 2015.
The day he went missing, the family found a six-page suicide letter hidden inside a stuffed eagle toy. In it he wrote about wanting to end his life because he felt “inadequate with amazing people.” It was not clear to the Fernandez family who John was referring to but they could only go by what they have observed in him: How he was bullied at Middletown High School North and came home with his shirt torn and spat on; how he appeared to have become disconnected with his older brother since he got married; and how has remained mostly by himself while his siblings have their own social lives.
“Mabait na bata, weirdo lang ng konti,” Ninia, who works at St. Joseph’s Health, told The FilAm. “He has an identity crisis.”
The investigation has remained focused on the suicide angle. Ninia said she and her husband Kelly, an auto mechanic, do not know what else to think. “Walang araw na hindi ako lumuluha,” she said. “Isang galong luha na yata ang iniyak ko.” The family remained hopeful that JP would be found. “As a mother, what are you supposed to think?”
Finally on October 2025, there was news from the Fernandez family.
Ninia writes on Facebook: “With Deepest Gratitude and Heavy Hearts…After 3,258 days…our beloved son John Paul Fernandez…was found on November 14, 2024. His identity was confirmed through DNA testing on October 14, 2025.”
She continued: “There are no words to describe the pain and the countless tears we have cried for him — every single day, for every year he was gone. While this brings heartbreaking closure, it also brings peace to finally bring our son home.”
Ninia’s post did not say how JP passed and if it was indeed suicide, where the body was found, and in what condition after nine years. Maybe the family had been informed but deemed it too sensitive for a public disclosure.
“JP had a gentle and giving heart. He always stepped up when needed. He was quirky, funny, and full of life — the kind of person who could make anyone laugh with his animated stories and contagious energy. That was who he was: dependable, kind, and never afraid to be himself.
“We are forever grateful to everyone who helped us look for JP, prayed with us, and never stopped hoping alongside our family.
“Our deepest thanks to the Middletown Police Department detectives, the Monmouth County detectives, and the New Jersey State forensic team for their compassion, dedication, and persistence in helping us bring JP home.”
