SAN ANTONIO – Members of a West Side family are hoping Crime Stoppers will be able to do what they haven’t been able to so far — namely, find out who killed their loved one.
Isaias Gomez III, died March 25 in a hit-and-run crash right around the corner from his family’s home.
San Antonio police said at the time that his mini SUV was hit on the driver’s side by a pickup.
The driver then got out and ran away after his truck caught fire a short distance away.
“We’ve been living in hell,” said Belinda Gomez, the victim’s older sister. “We can't even go down the street anymore. It's hard for us. Every day it's remembrance. Every single day.”
The 43-year-old’s death has been especially hard on his 19-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter, she said.
His mother, Frances Gomez, still is reduced to tears while looking at photos of her only son.
She describes him as a loving person who also was loved by many.
She said it was evident at his funeral earlier this year.
She said the service had to be extended two hours to accommodate all of the mourners, and the funeral procession stretched on for a mile.
As difficult as this loss has been for her family, she said she believes she driver who killed him must be struggling too.
“I'm sure he's not sleeping at night. I'm sure he wants to come forward,” Frances Gomez said.
She and her family have issued numerous appeals for the driver to turn himself in.
So far their pleas, though, have fallen on deaf ears.
“We need some kind of peace of mind. We need to know what happened,” said Belinda Gomez. “It's hard for us to go to work. It's hard for us to sleep. It's hard for us, you know -- doing anything to move forward. We feel guilty.”
Crime Stoppers has joined them in the search for answers.
The agency is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible.
Anyone who believes they may know about the case is asked to call (210) 224-STOP (7867).
Crime Stoppers says those tips can be made anonymously.