Tragedy struck as the family of Jarvis McIntyre, a 26-year-old Navy veteran from St. Louis, believes the body found at a northeast San Antonio park may be their missing loved one. The grim discovery came after days of painful searching for McIntyre, who was last seen alive on June 8, in the vicinity of Holbrook Road between Rittiman Road and Corrine Drive. In a statement given to KENS 5, McIntyre's mother, Monikki Williams Tippet, expressed her fears that the tattoos on the discovered body match those of her son saying, “I was praying it wasn’t him.”

McIntyre had come to San Antonio to visit his sisters for his birthday weekend before he vanished—his family was supposed to see him return home last Sunday, but he never showed up, and after he also failed to respond to birthday messages and made no social media posts that Monday, his family feared the worst. Despite the hope that the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) would shed light on their loved one’s sudden disappearance, their request for more assistance seemed to languish in the face of bureaucratic responses; the SAPD has yet to confirm the link between the park's corpse and McIntyre or reveal the cause of death noted by First Alert 4.

Tippet and her family brought balloons to the park on Saturday to honor what would have been McIntyre's birthday, while imploring anyone with information to come forward to bring closure to their heartrending ordeal. McIntyre's mother relayed he was last seen running in John James Park and he described an individual chasing him as a “racist” during his 911 call, prompting the family to suspect that his death could be linked to race or sexual orientation discrimination. "He didn’t deserve this. They took my baby’s life for no reason,” Tippet told KENS 5.

The investigation into McIntyre's disappearance and death left many in the community and his family with an overbearing sense of absence, particularly when it comes to solid answers or justifications for the current status of the case. The frustration was palpable in the words of McIntyre's mother, who, according to First Alert 4, said, “His case has been turned over to homicide detectives, and they’re not telling me why,” expressing her anguish over the perceived lack of urgency from authorities, “I just feel like they don’t care enough about what’s going on. The only thing we’re constantly hearing is that he’s 26, and he’s an adult.”

The situation is exacerbated by the chilling knowledge that McIntyre's rental car, alongside his personal belongings, was found just a block from the park, a prime piece of evidence that could provide vital clues yet remains amidst the muddle of unanswered questions. Anyone with information relevant to this case is encouraged to contact the San Antonio Police Department at (210) 207-7660.