New Details Revealed on Henderson Teen’s Passing

Posted on: January 9, 2025, 06:26h. 

Last updated on: January 9, 2025, 10:06h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

As family, friends, and classmates continue to mourn the death of a Henderson, Nev. high school student Jennaleah “Jenna” Hin, new details have emerged on her disappearance and suicide.

Jennaleah “Jenna” Hin
Jennaleah “Jenna” Hin, pictured above died after she left home. (Image: Henderson Police Department via KVVU)

Hin, 17, apparently stole the gun of her stepfather, who was identified as a North Las Vegas police officer, before she ran away from home on December 30.

She had gotten into a dispute with her mother, Jennifer Swanson, and stepfather, Corey Swanson. The argument centered over a boyfriend, the girl’s biological father, Hina Hin, recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“They had a huge argument,” Hina Hin revealed to Las Vegas TV station KLAS. “This was no minor argument.”

In a police report given to the Review-Journal, Hina Hin, a San Jose, Calif. resident, said Corey Swanson believed that the teen had taken his Glock 43 handgun.

They should have secured their guns better,” Hina Hin told the Review-Journal. “This is a death that could have been easily avoided.”

Hina Hin hadn’t seen the girl in person for about a year, having gotten into disputes with her mother over visitations following their separation, the Review-Journal reported.

But Jennifer Swanson texted him after their daughter ran away. Initially, he thought the girl would return home after a night out.

Left Suicide Note

Hina Hin said he became more concerned when Jennifer Swanson told him the 17-year-old had left an apparent suicide note, the Review-Journal reported.

A search began, with searchers not revealing anything about the girl’s emotional state. Instead, they were concerned about her ability to survive in the desert after several days without food or water. Hina Hin was among the many people who participated in the extensive search.

I was out there searching for her, screaming her name,” he told Las Vegas TV station KSNV.

The Swansons also searched for the girl and quickly notified authorities about her disappearance. They met with reporters last week in an effort to find the girl.

Despite family members, community volunteers, police officers, and those affiliated with Nevada’s Red Rock Search and Rescue continuing their efforts over the weekend, Jenna Hin’s lifeless body was discovered by a hiker on Sunday. She died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the neck and head, the Clark County coroner’s office revealed earlier this week following an autopsy.

Hina Hin has visited the site where she was found.

“I felt her presence at the location … and it’s still heartbreaking. It feels like a nightmare that I just want to wake up from, that I don’t believe this is even real,” he told KSNV.

Remembering Jenna

Since Sunday, there has been an outpouring of remembrances for the teen.

Jenna was a loving soul who simply wanted to be loved,” Hina Hin said in a tribute on a GoFundMe page. “She had the potential to live a beautiful, long, and happy life. She loved animals, especially her dogs. Jenna was truly a wonderful person, both in heart and in spirit. She will be deeply missed, and her memory will forever live on in our hearts.”

Those who wish to assist the family in funeral costs can donate via GoFundMe, the online fundraising site. As of Thursday, the total raised was $5,887. The goal is $13K.

In honor of Jennaleah Hin’s life, a candlelight vigil is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at the corner of Spanish Needle Street and Desert Sunflower Circle in Henderson.

Those taking part can bring candles, as well as white, blue, or gold balloons. Those are the colors of Henderson’s Foothill High School. Hin was a student there, where she had an A-average.