Live Oak – On Sunday morning, a group of friends and family recovered a body in an underground drainage tunnel that they said is 52-year-old Keith Hammond.
The Live Oak Police Department considered him as a person of interest in connection with the death of a woman, 50-year-old Laura Briseno, who was found three weeks ago in the same area.
“We have been…on the phone with the police…if not every day, every other day, begging, begging for something,” said sister-in-law of Keith Hammond, Angelique Hammond.
Hammond’s family said they knew his body was in one of the tunnels outside of Methodist Hospital Northeast.
However, after pleading with police, friends and family took it upon themselves to search for his body and they said they found it within minutes.
“His body is [just] lying there, just badly decomposed, but nobody took any effort to actually look down there,” said friend of Hammond, Steve Jura.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office has still not confirmed that the body is Hammond’s, but the group said they recognized his boots.
Family and friends said police dropped the ball on this investigation.
“You didn’t do your job, that we pay you to do” said Angelique Hammond.
Live Oak Police Chief Matt Malone said their department’s work is not done.
“I can tell you, we have been out here at least two or three more times checking the area. Obviously, we did not find the person,” said Live Oak Assistant Chief of Police Matt Malone. He also mentioned the department will continue working on “piecing” all the details together moving forward.