HIALEAH, Fla. – The family of a Hialeah man killed while on a trip to North Carolina are asking for the public's help to find the murder suspect who has been at large for nearly a year.
Hasiel Gonzalez went to visit friends in January in Vance County, North Carolina, but he disappeared the day before he was to board a flight home to Miami. The Vance County Sheriff's Office believes that Gonzalez was shot and killed by Alejandro Ferrer, who once lived in Hialeah.
“He was loved by so many people. I don't know why anyone would want to do this to him," Maday Gonzalez, the victim's sister, said Tuesday.
Ferrer, 38, was living in Vance County at the time of Gonzalez' death, deputies said. Ferrer is described as "armed and dangerous" in a recent wanted poster.
"It's been very difficult, it’s just sort of a roller coaster of emotions because we have unanswered questions,” Maday Gonzalez said.
Without an arrest or even a trial, the Gonzalez family said they have been struggling to move on after Hasiel Gonzalez's death.
"We feel guilty for having fun, for being places while there’s still someone on the loose that murdered our brother." said Eric Gonzalez, the victim's brother.
Hasiel Gonzalez's mother, Ana, said in Spanish: "We will never be the same as before."
The family has hired private investigator Wayne Black to help breathe new life into the case.
"We’re going to heat it up until it causes some activity and that’s really what it’s all about," Black said.
Black and the family suspect that Ferrer may have returned to Hialeah and a tip from local residents could break the case.
Deputies described Ferrer as being 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair. Deputies said he was last seen with a beard and a short haircut.
Anyone who has seen Ferrer is asked call 911 immediately.