POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — It has been a turbulent week for one Polk County family.
Last week, they searched for their missing daughter, Sierra Hernandez, only to get arrested while looking for her.
While behind bars, they learned Sierra was found dead. The charges against all five of them have been dropped, but now they are facing new problems.
Sierra’s family walked out of the doors at the Polk County Jail on Wednesday evening.
Woman faces kidnapping, accessory charges in death of Sierra Hernandez
On Thursday, three of them found out they had been fired from their jobs.
They are now having to worry about where their next paycheck is coming from.
“We did the right thing for our daughter and our sister, and at the end of the day, we lose our jobs over it,” said Amber Merzacco, Sierra’s stepmother.
“I had high hopes being released, because while I was incarcerated, I heard that my job was secure,” said Kalob Ashley, a family friend.
Merzacco was a customer representative at a gas station. Ashley worked for a plastic fabrication company.