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Mother loses her 'miracle' Murder victim had already survived serious car wreck By JIM DAVIS For more than a year, Jaime Fernandez fought for his life after a car accident left him nearly dead. Jaime Fernandez in 1997 The 20-year-old Eagle Point man survived more than 20 operations, including eye surgery, stomach surgery and brain surgery. "All his doctors said he was a miracle because they never thought that he would walk out of there (the hospital)," said Lori Fernandez, his mother. After the last surgery in June, Jaime Fernandez was weak and had lost a great deal of weight and was dependent upon tubes sticking out of his body, but he was looking forward to getting on with his life, Lori Fernandez said. Then, last Friday, Jaime Fernandez was killed, allegedly murdered by cousin Mark Curtis Fernandez, 26, of Prospect. Police and the Jackson County deputy district attorney's office are releasing few details about the crime. Lori Fernandez spent Monday with her family trying to understand why her nephew possibly killed her son. "It does not make sense," Lori Fernandez said. "My son did not deserve to die. He (Mark Fernandez) had no right taking my son.'' Jaime Fernandez was an Eagle Point High School graduate, a letterman who after graduation worked with his father in logging and also worked for a roofing company. His life changed completely on April 19, 1998, when he ran a stop sign on Highway 140 and his car struck another vehicle. He needed massive reconstructive surgeries, surgeries that required the removal of some of his internal organs and left him with some loss of short-term memory. For more than a year, Jaime Fernandez was in and out of Providence Medford Medical Center. "We were in the process of getting his life back together," Lori Fernandez said. "He was really looking forward to getting on with his life." Jaime Fernandez was even planning an elaborate 21st birthday party for next month. Even though he couldn't drink because of his stomach surgeries, he wanted all his friends to drink around him. On Friday morning, Candy Fernandez, his sister, and one of Jaime's friends were with Jaime at their home at 609 W. Crystal Drive in a subdivision in Eagle Point. Mark Fernandez, a seasonal firefighter with the Oregon Department of Forestry, swung by the house that morning to visit, but was there for only a few minutes, Candy Fernandez said. "Mark said he was going to come back," said the 18-year-old Candy Fernandez. Jaime's friend left and Candy Fernandez went to classes at Rogue Community College. When Lori Fernandez arrived home that night, the night of her birthday, her son was gone from the home. Jaime didn't need constant care, but it was unusual for him to leave, especially when it was his mother's birthday. That night, Lori Fernandez waited up, looking out the window for her son. "You're thinking maybe he's with a friend," said Cindy Scott, an aunt. "Maybe he's with a girl." On Saturday, Scott was walking in the front yard of the house on Crystal Drive when she stepped in a large splotch of blood. The family found another similar-sized puddle nearby. Eagle Point police -- who had taken a missing persons report -- asked for the help of the Jackson County Major Assault Investigation Team. Detectives tried to contact Mark Fernandez on Saturday because he was the last person seen with Jaime. But police couldn't find him. On Sunday, Mark Fernandez called the family and asked if they had found Jaime. The family told Mark to contact the police, that detectives wanted to speak with him. Mark Fernandez called police, and, when asked, lied about his whereabouts, Lori Fernandez said. Police traced the call and found Mark at the Oregon Department of Forestry office at 5286 Table Rock Road, Central Point. Detectives interviewed him and arrested him. He led police to the body of Jaime Fernandez at a remote location around Lost Creek Lake. An autopsy was performed Monday, but police were not releasing the cause of death or possible motives. Mark Fernandez was arraigned Monday on a charge of murder and is being held without bail at the Jackson County Jail. A Jackson County grand jury is expected to hear the case Thursday. The family said Jaime would have been too weak to struggle with his cousin. "(Mark's) an odd guy," Cindy Scott said. "When he came to a family function, he'd just stand in the corner." "No one feared him," Candy Fernandez said. "No one thought that they had to fear him." The family, which watched Jaime suffer through so much in the past year, must now deal with the new loss. "He was a happy kid," Lori Fernandez said of her son Jaime. "He did not want to die. This was not a mercy killing. He (Mark Fernandez) had no right to take my son." A memorial fund to pay for Jaime's funeral expenses has been set up at Western Bank in Eagle Point. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA