The sudden, brutal murder of 84-year-old Manuel Gomez Mendez, Jr. has shocked east San Antonio, leaving the community mourning the loss of a beloved man known for his faith and service. Friends and police are working tirelessly to uncover who committed this heinous crime.
SAN ANTONIO — The Medical Examiner has not made a ruling on exactly how or why 84-year-old Manuel Gomez Mendez, Jr died, but his friends say his sudden and tragic loss is a blow to east San Antonio.
His friends called him Manny and they said his life was one of faith and service to others.
Melvin Fechner, the minister at HIS BridgeBuilders, where Manny was a well-loved member of the community, said “He made a big difference in a lot of people’s lives, mine included, so I was very thankful for who he was and what he did.”
Manny’s neighbor David said “He was awesome. He was a really sweet guy.”
David said he often offered his friend rides because he helped so many people in his travels.
“We always saw him walking with his little cart, so we always asked him if he needed a ride. He was always helping someone,” David said, adding “It was very, very, very sad when he went missing.”
Of the day Manny was found brutally murdered, David said “It was hard to get the news and know that people don’t have heart and did something like that, that bad!”
Mendez was found Saturday morning when a family driving in the 1500 block of Rigsby saw smoke and called in a brush fire.
Arriving firefighters went into a drainage channel and found the man’s body. The police report indicates his hands had been tied with rope, his body had been wrapped in plastic, and he had been burned.
Fechner said nobody deserves to die like Mendez did, but because of his friend’s commitment to good works, the horrific way he died is all the more painful.
“Manny was always moving around, just meeting people. He was like a roving good Samaritan, you know, just out looking for people to befriend and see how he could help them out,” Fechner said.
“I’ve been here 18 years. He was here long before that, but he introduced me to so many people in the neighborhood,” Fechner said, adding “He was always being with God’s people, doing the work of God, to love God and love his neighbors and I literally met people all over about half the city because he would just introduce me to people all the time.”
Using a famous quote to better explain his friend’s value, Fechner said “Teddy Roosevelt said walk softly and carry a big stick. Manny walked softly and carried a big heart and so he was just a great role model for me and anyone else that was around him just about how to love people and be selfless.”
Fighting back tears, Fechner said “It’ll make you sad because there’s not many guys like that. He’s the only one I knew!”
Fechner said he’s positive many people will want to honor Mendez by carrying his legacy forward into the future.
“The rest of us have just got to continue doing what he did and that is go make a difference. He was a difference maker and he’s in heaven now with Jesus,” Fechner said affectionately.
As for the investigation into the murder, police haven’t released any fresh information, but friends say they know detectives are hard at work, talking to people in the general area where the body was found.
They point out that Mendez owned property less than 500 yards away from where his body was hidden in the deep brush on the north side of Rigsby Avenue.
The number to the San Antonio Police Department homicide division is 210-207-7635 for anyone who has helpful information.
Friends said services have not been announced but they take comfort in knowing a good and faithful servant has gone on to his reward.
Fechner said “There is no doubt in my mind he laid up many treasures in heaven. As the scripture says, you can seek the world’s stuff or true riches and he is a wealthy man now.”