Forty-eight hours after Mission police identified the body found in a canal over the weekend as 17-year-old Aaron Juan Garcia, the teen's family spoke out to Action 4 News.
They said that although they know that logically it is Aaron, they said because they weren’t able to see his face, it is still not real to them.
Aaron's sister, Stephanie, said she was advised against looking at her brother's body.
Because he'd been under water for so long, his body was badly decomposed.
Medical examiners had to use dental records to identify the teen.
Stephanie said the family has been going through a range of emotions. From shock to sadness and even regret.
“There are things that we could have done,” said Garcia. “That we should have done sooner. We just figured he was being hard head and stubborn. He never called."
Aaron left his family's home back in December after a fight.
Stephanie said he took off walking toward the canal, but no one went after him. She said they wanted to give him time to cool off.
After two weeks of not hearing from him, they went to police.
On Saturday, the canal near the Garcia home was drained and Aaron's body was found under a box.
Stephanie said she's dreading the coming days as funeral preparations get underway.
A viewing will take place at the Rivera Funeral Home in Mission, located on Conway Road, starting Thursday from 1 to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m.
Aaron will be buried on Friday at the Laurel Hill Cemetery on Holland Road in Mission.
The family also has an account set up at Lonestar National Bank to help with funeral expenses.
To donate, just ask for the Aaron Juan Garcia Funeral Expenses account.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT