Family and friends are pleading for the public's help after their loved one was taken from them too soon. Roland Pantoja was found dead, with stab wounds, Tuesday morning in a brushy area on the city's Southwest Side. At his vigil Friday night, questions about his murder still loomed .
A cross surrounded by candles now marks the spot where 34-year-old Pantoja's body was found Tuesday on Quintana Road, alone and abandoned.
"He wasn't from this area, and where they left him was just not right. That's just heartless," said Pantoja's friend, Lawrence Silvas.
Police confirmed someone walking near the railroad tracks discovered Pantoja's body about 9:00 a.m. Tuesday. San Antonio police Chief William McManus said Pantoja's body had been there since at least midnight. He still didn't know whether Pantoja was killed there or dumped there.
Either way, the manner in which Pantoja died isn't how Silvas wants his friend to be remembered.
"Roland was an awesome guy, hard worker, proud father of three, had a loving wife. He will be missed," Silvas said.
The group of mourners sent up prayers along with their blue balloons.
"This is the best way to say goodbye," Silvas said. "This is the last spot we know where he was, so give the family some kind of closure."
For Pantoja's loved ones, it was hard to feel a sense of resolution with so many unanswered questions.
"We're hoping by some act of God that people will come forward and let us know what happened or give us some kind of closure. Justice would be nice. Nobody deserves to die the way that he did," Silvas said.
Police are still investigating the strange circumstance surrounding Pantoja's death. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the San Antonio Police Department Homicide Unit. The number during business hours is 210-207-7635. The after-hours number is 210-207-7389.