NewsWest 9
ODESSA - While police continue their search for the body of Rene Sanchez, his family is trying to cope with the reality of his death.
"Why? How could you do this? How could you? How could you take a man away from his family, from his kids?" Rene's sister, Marisela Sanchez, said.
Those are the questions his family wants answered.
Four years after Sanchez went missing, the family's worst nightmare came true.
Odessa Police said Sanchez is dead and 26-year-old Jesus Miguel Venegas is behind bars, charged with his murder.
"I don't know what's worse, not knowing or receiving the news we got the other day," Rene's wife, Esther Armendariz, said.
According to an arrest affidavit, Sanchez was last seen by his wife leaving his home in July of 2008. He went to a neighbors house for some drinks and police said Venegas was there.
"He didn't know him, he just met him that night," Armendariz said.
Detectives said Sanchez and Venegas left to get more beer and Venegas was the last person to see him.
Police kept in touch with Venegas, but fast forward to January 5th, 2013. Venegas was taken into custody after a traffic stop.
Not long after that, police said he confessed to stabbing Sanchez several times and dumping his body somewhere in West Odessa.
Now after years of sleepless nights and agonizing uncertainty, Rene's family is struggling with the news their loved one is never coming back home.
"He loved to barbecue, he loved to go camping," Armendariz said. "There were just so many things that we had planned, so many things we had left to do."
"He was a loving person and that's why it's hard to think of this man doing this to him because if he really knew him, we wouldn't have wanted to hurt him at all," Marisela said.
His family said the news brought some closure but the pain is still fresh.
"We didn't get that chance to tell him how much we loved him," Armendariz said. "That was taken away from us."
As they cope with their loss, the family says they're comforted knowing that Rene is now watching over them.
