Family pleads for justice in loved one's murder

DORAL, Fla. (WSVN) -- A family is making an emotional plea to the public to help them solve the murder of their 21-year-old loved one.

"The worst pain in the world you could have: losing your son. That pain never goes away. Losing your son never goes away," Amado Lopez.

Amado and Barbara Lopez's son, Adrian, went missing on Jan. 3, and was found two days later in his car shot to death. Not knowing how or why he was killed only makes that pain of losing him worse. "It bewilders me. That's all I think of since he was missing since the third," said Amado.

Adrian was 21 years old and his family said he was a homebody. On the day he disappeared, he left his father at work and ran errands to a Bank of America, Publix, and a Chicken Kitchen, all in Kendall, before 4:30 p.m. The 21-year-old called his mother and told her he was on his way home. What happened after remains somewhat of a mystery.

Detectives said he was seen at a gas station, sitting in the back of his truck with two white males in the front seats. Police said he may have been abducted or held at gunpoint on the side of the road. After 5 p.m., his phone went dead, by 11 he is reported missing and two days later, someone passed his car on Southwest 280th Street and 207th Avenue.

Authorities said Adrian was found locked inside the vehicle, deceased from gunshot wounds. "The victim, Adrian, is found inside the vehicle," said Miami-Dade Police Detective James Hatzis. "His phone is missing, the vehicle car keys are missing, and he was locked inside of the vehicle where he was found deceased from gunshot wounds."

Everything is speculation, which is why the Lopez family wants someone who may know something to come forward. "We're asking for you guys to please bring justice to my nephew and help his family find peace," said the victim's uncle.

Police have released descriptions of two suspects: the first, a white male in his 30s, heavy set, about 230 pounds with a goatee. The second, a white male, 23 - 24 years old, 6 feet 1 inch tall with a thin build, messy red or blonde, shoulder length hair and a long chin beard.

The Lopez family said today would have been Adrian's 22nd birthday.

If you have any information on this murder, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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