Father issues plea for missing UF student

Pedro Bravo charged with murder of Christian Aguilar

Christian Aguilar

SWEETWATER, Fla. ā€“ The father of Christian Aguilar, the University of Florida student who was last seen more than a week ago, issued a plea for help finding his body.

Carlos Aguilar asked for the FBI to aid in the search in a statement issued Monday.

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"Do not give up on my son. We need the FBI to join the search for Christian. We need his body to be found to create a solid case and make sure Pedro never walks outside of a jail cell," Carlos Aguilar said in a statement.

Aguilar asked the University of Florida to help disseminate information about the case to students. He said some students were unaware of it when they received flyers about the case.

"Someone on campus may have seen Pedro's truck or my son. Someone on campus may have the key to finding his body," Carlos Aguilar said in the statement.

Christian Aguilar was last seen September 20. Gainesville police charged Pedro Bravo, Aguilar's friend and former Doral Academy classmate, with his murder on Friday. Bravo had previously been charged with depriving a victim of medical treatment.

Investigators said Bravo confessed to beating Aguilar after they confronted him with new evidence, including the discovery of blood in Bravo's vehicle and Aguilar's backpack inside a suitcase in Bravo's closet.

Bravo was denied bond Saturday and has been on suicide watch. He is being kept in the Alachua County jail's medical unit under close observation.

The Gainesville Police Department's Mounted Patrol Unit and members of Texas EquuSearch joined the search for the missing University of Florida student Sunday afternoon.

Anyone who may have captured the SUV on video is asked to call police at 352-393-7670.