SAN ANTONIO – A stolen truck found in the process of being stripped was the beginning of an investigation into the murder of a 21-year-old San Antonio man. It's a case that San Antonio police say has gone cold.
Robert Puente Jr. received a call from a police dispatcher on April 25, 1989, about his red truck.
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"Mr. Puente told the dispatcher that the truck belonged to his son, Robert Puente III," police said.
The truck was being taken apart, piece by piece, by a group of men at Arsenal Street and South Main Avenue. Police said the men ran off when they drove up.
Puente Jr. and his wife went to check on his son at his apartment on the 2300 block of Austin Highway.
"Mr. Puente found his son's apartment full of smoke. A fire had been started in the fireplace. He entered the apartment , feeling around until he found his son lying on the bed," police said.
He carried his son outside.
READ: Another cold case occurred in this area in 1986.
"Once outside, Mr. Puente found that his son was covered in blood," police said.
Puente III was taken to Brook Army Medical Center, where he died. Police said he had been stabbed and beaten.
Neighbors said Puente had come home that evening with seven people in his truck, including three women.
SAPD's Cold Case Squad is still investigating the case. If you have any information, call 210-207-7635.