SAN ANTONIO – The family of Samuel Reyes, a man who called 911 fearing that someone was coming to get him before his disappearance, says his body was identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.
In a lengthy post on Saturday, the mother of Reyes, Lanay Cohen, confirmed the 31-year-old’s death. Cohen said his body was found in an area of land just over three miles from his home.
According to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office’s website, Reyes was confirmed dead on April 21. Cohen says surveyors on private land near Foster Road found his body.
For months, Cohen had joined in the search to find her son. She said he was supposed to report for new soldier Army orientation just days before his disappearance.
According to Cohen, she had lost contact with Reyes two or three days before he disappeared.
“He was supposed to go to New Soldier Orientation on Dec. 14 and then on the 15th, I couldn’t reach him,” Cohen told KSAT. “I wanted to see how his orientation went. So, I called his dad and stepmom and they said he had gone missing on the night of the 11th or the morning of the 12th.”
According to Cohen, Reyes’ Army recruiters said he was a “no-call, no show” for orientation.
The search for Reyes was also taken on by Texas EquuSearch, a volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to searching for missing people.
The team and Cohen’s family searched around bodies of water in the 200 block of Lake Crystal Street, near the home of Reyes’ grandmother, where he was last seen.
Cohen said his grandmother saw him last and recalled him saying “someone was coming to get him.”
“She reported that the night before he disappeared, he called 911,” Cohen told KSAT. “Police came to the property but didn’t know why. She told them he was disoriented and was hiding in the closet and was saying someone was coming to get him. The only thing I could think of was that he was maybe under the influence or something happened. Like why would he do that? Then for him to disappear with the door open, it makes you fearful that somebody did come and get him.”
According to Cohen’s post, the initial report indicates that no foul play is related to Reyes’ death. However, the family is still waiting for the final report from the Bexar County Medical Examiner.