SEGUIN, Texas – The family of a man whose body was found floating in the Guadalupe River wants answers in the death of their loved one.
Seguin investigators are still unsure about the cause and circumstances surrounding the death of 40-year-old Johnny Felan.
Monique Mendez, Felan's oldest daughter, said it all happened unexpectedly.
“It is still an open investigation,” Mendez said. “I was alone when I got the news from my aunt. The moment she told me, 'You need to get your brother and sister,' I knew right then.”
Felan leaves behind three children. Juanita Lopez, his mother, said she had just seen her son.
“It was a normal day Saturday,” she said. “Nothing I could tell would happen to him or that he would be found the way he was found.”
The family said it is coping while remembering the fun personality he had.
“I saw a comment that said he looked like he was 20 or 30 years old,” Mendez said. “He would have loved that comment because he was saying he was young and handsome and strong.”
Mendez said Felan constantly found a way to put smiles on their faces.
“He had jokes,” Mendez said. “He was just a friendly face you would see walking down the street, laughing. He always had jokes, and they were always about my mom.”
Mendez said that Felan was also loving.
“He had a heart of gold,” Mendez said. “He never wanted to hurt anybody. It was just a life gone too soon.”
Ernestina Narvaez, the mother of Felan's children, said he was a great man who would give the shirt off his back for anyone.
“We probably will never be able to see his body again,” Narvaez said. ”For them not to see their father for the last time is not fair.”
Because Felan’s death came so suddenly, the family said it is finding it difficult to afford his funeral arrangements.
“It is something that we don't have the funds for, but we are turning to cremation, but it is still costly,” Mendez said. “We can just use some prayers because we will need them so we can put my father to rest. That is why we had to set up a fundraising account.”
More than anything, the family asks anyone who knows any information to contact the Seguin Police Department at 830-379-2123 immediately, because, they said, any little detail will bring them closure.