SAN ANTONIO — From the murky, brackish backwaters of Calaveras Lake to a high-tech laboratory in the medical center area, investigators are hoping an effort that began on May 8 will soon yield results that could result in progress on a capital murder case.
Four-year-old MaryAnn Marble died when her Windsor Hollow home in northeast Bexar County was sprayed with bullets during an attack that was captured by several surveillance cameras.
Several other people inside the home at the time were also injured, but investigators say they haven't had much cooperation from the adults in the home.
But now, thanks to a break in an unrelated case, Sheriff Javier Salazar said they may be closing in on being able to charge someone, after a Draco style weapon was found underwater in Calaveras Lake, adjacent to a bridge on Foster Road.
Salazar said the weapon found in the lake matches the weapon seen on surveillance video and he added they have evidence indicating a person of interest in the killing can be placed on the bridge in the time period shortly after the shooting.
Salazar said the vicious attack has been a top priority for months.
"I want them and everybody to know this is horrible," Sheriff Salazar said. "We're constantly working. We're not going to stop until somebody faces justice."
Of the testing being done on the recovered gun, Salazar said "if this firearm ends up being linked, clearly that person will have questions to answer."
Early Tuesday, detectives expressed cautious optimism about arrests coming soon.
Even though many people associate the Medical Examiner's office at the Bexar County Forensic Science Center with crimes against people, the county facility also assists with investigations of all sorts.
Bexar County spokesman Isaac Neri provided the following statement about the services provided by the Bexar County Crime Lab:
"The Bexar County Criminal Investigation Laboratory provides technical and analytical expertise in drug identification, firearm and tool mark examination, forensic serology, DNA profiling, and primer gunshot residue analysis. The crime lab conducts scientific examinations and analyses on a wide variety of specimens, such as drugs, firearms, bullets, and biological samples."
Investigators are hoping the laboratory technicians will be able to make progress on a case that left a family grief stricken and neighbors living in fear of another armed assault.
Salazar said while many Crime Stoppers rewards are up to $5,000, the payout on this case has been increased to a guaranteed $10,000.
"$10,000 is a lot of money for somebody that may want to point us in the right direction," Salazar said, adding "We feel like we're on the right trail, and any direct information would certainly be helpful so again we're asking anyone with information to call 210-224-STOP."
Salazar said the passage of time is on the side of investigators as relationships change. He hopes someone who may have wanted to remain quiet months ago may feel the urge to cooperate now.
"In these cases, it really never fails, at some point somebody will say something," Salazar said. "Somebody that may have been a girlfriend or boyfriend at the time but now is no longer a boyfriend or girlfriend and has reason to come forward. Perhaps the Crime Stoppers can lead them to come forward. That's what we're hoping."
Additional details about the Crime Stoppers offer can be found here.