x
Breaking News
More () »

Body found in northeast SA renews heartache for murder victim's family

Zachary Leard's family is still hoping for a break in his murder case after the discovery of the body of a 26-year-old Navy veteran.

SAN ANTONIO — Monday afternoon San Antonio Police identified 26-year-old Jarvis McIntyre as the man who was found dead in a wooded area near Holbrook Road last Friday morning.

Some family members and friends of the St. Louis man who had been searching for him for days when he failed to return home after a trip to San Antonio have speculated that McIntyre was murdered. 

However, medical examiners said an initial autopsy found no apparent cause and manner of death. A complete toxicology report is pending.

Relatives said they have been told of troubling details connected to the tragic event.

Police confirmed there was a 911 call made to the 1200 block of Holbrook on June 9 at 1:36pm.

While they didn't identify the caller as McIntyre, they did say the caller told the dispatcher he was being chased by an individual with a rifle.

Police said officers went to the area, but because the caller didn't provide specific details about his location, officers found nobody in trouble or any witnesses.

While toxicology results are pending, police said nothing about the impact of a body being exposed to the elements from June 9 until June 14, which is the time that elapsed between when McIntyre was last seen and when his body was found in a wooded area adjacent to the Salado Creek Hike and Bike Trail.

While the McIntyre family is fresh to the grieving process, a San Antonio family is feeling the effects of the loss as well.

Jason Leard said as soon as word started to spread online about McIntyre's death, messages from friends flooded his phone.

"A bunch of my brother's friends were posting about that case and I was reading some of the comments and they were linking the two," Jason said, adding "It's pretty traumatic. Deep down in my heart I still believe my brother's case is related to a dating app."

Leard's brother Zachary was found murdered in early 2023, almost two miles from the current case.

Friends of both men posted extensively online about their connection and involvement with the LGBTQIA community in both cities.

From the outset, Jason and his family said they believed Zachary was lured to his death while he was using a dating app, as he was found shot to death at an apartment complex on North Vandiver Road on February 21, 2023. 

Family said they knew of no reason for Zachary to be at the location and they reported that his car was stolen at the same time.

Reviewing details of the McIntyre incident, Jason said, "It really struck a chord in me that it could still be going on with us trying to put it out there that this could be happening in our city still."

Jason said he believes more could be done to warn people about potential threats.

"They could be really stressing that there's a danger out there that could be tied to the gay community and to dating apps because they could be targeted by someone because of their sexuality, and maybe it's not because they're gay, like in a hate crime, but maybe because they are considered an easier target or less violent, or less likely to do something back," Jason said.

Calling both deaths very frustrating, Jason expressed condolences to the McIntyre family.

"I would just like to say our hearts go out to his family and that they need to be vigilant," Jason said, adding "They need to be on SAPD. They cannot give up. They need to consistently be calling them and demand action for their son, for their brother, their nephew, uncle, whatever he is to them. He deserves that. This is not right."

At this time there is not a Crime Stoppers reward for either case, however Jason said he wishes SAPD would follow up on a promise to lead a thorough investigation.

Jason said, "Crime Stoppers would be a good start. We've seen other cases get solved when that reward is offered and we want that to be afforded to our family as well."

The non-emergency number to the SAPD Homicide unit is 210-207-7635 for clues about either case.

>MORE ON KENS


TRENDING:

Before You Leave, Check This Out