SAN ANTONIO — The family of a murder victim is hoping his stolen car will give up some clues that will lead to Zachary Leard's killer.
The popular 31-year-old was found shot to death last Tuesday in the parking lot of an apartment complex on the north east side on Vandiver Road between Eisenhauer and Austin Highway.
Almost 24 hours later, police say they found Leard's stolen blue Nissan Rogue almost 12 miles away, in the medical center area.
Police, acting on a tip, said the car was found with a broken window on the driver's side and the vehicle was left in the parking lot of the Sundance Apartments at 4615 Gardendale, near building 20.
Neighbors, learning that the car was found so close, said it's surprising the car was in such a high traffic area. A picnic area and a playground adjoin the parking lot, and neighbors said the area is often crowded with people.
The victim's sister, Joslin Leard said "From what we know (the vehicle is) still being processed."
Joslin said they are hoping the killer left evidence behind.
"DNA would be the best possible outcome," Joslin said.
The victim's brother, Jason Leard, said in addition to physical evidence, he wants the neighbors in the largely immigrant community to know they don't want people to be afraid to speak up with clues.
"Definitely we'd like to reach out to people from other cultures in the area that might be afraid to say something that might have seen something because it is an active area," Jason said. "There's always people outside there."
Joslin said they understand people might be reluctant to say what they know to law enforcement.
"Both of our social media is public. You can contact us at any time. Any social media. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. My phone number is out there. Contact me any time of day," Joslin said, adding she is grateful to all the people who are sending her private messages using social media.
"People have reached out with clues and helpful information. People are listening to his story and are helping more than we thought," Joslin said.
Jason said surveillance cameras might be the key to cracking the case.
"We still need people to be on the lookout for any camera footage they might have from around Wurzbach and Gardendale, Bluemel and Gardendale," Jason said, adding "Locating footage of the car is probably the most crucial part because we're trying to narrow down the timeline. We know where his vehicle was and where it was found. We don't know where it was in between those times and that is really huge."
Both siblings expressed gratitude for all the support they have received from Zachary's wide circle of friends.
The family hopes an online fundraising effort will help them not only pay for Zachary's funeral expenses, but also help with their quest to find justice.