Texas authorities are seeking the public’s help in identifying a man they believe is connected to the disappearance of Adriana Coronado, 13, and the death of her father.
Walker County Sheriff Clint McRae on Thursday released two surveillance videos, including one that shows a man running from a burning pickup.
Earlier in the video, the Ford F-150 drives through the shot until it is parked just off camera. Then there appears to be a small explosion as the man runs away. In another video he jogs down a nearby alley and into a parking lot.
Police have said the burned body of Caesar Vladimir Coronado was found Sunday at a different scene than the truck, which was discovered just off Interstate 45 in Conroe.
McRae told reporters that investigators think speaking to the man in the videos will be “crucial in solving this case.”
He also said there is an ongoing search in Houston, about 40 miles south, for Adriana, who has been missing since the weekend.
The director of the Texas EquuSearch Mounted Search and Recovery Team, Tim Miller, said the search area was 100 square miles in three counties north of Houston.
“We are driving (around), doing recon work, and picking out places that need to be searched,” Miller said.
An Amber Alert issued Monday said Adriana was last seen in the Houston suburb of Katy early Saturday morning. She is 5 feet tall and about 105 pounds. She has brown eyes and wears black-framed glasses.
McRae said there has been no demand of ransom and none of the many tips as to her location has panned out.
He said investigators need to find and interview the man in the video. Finding him could be difficult given the darkness of the video (it was 10:20 p.m.) and the fact that there is no clear shot of the man’s face.
“It’s going to take an individual who is familiar with and knows this potential suspect” to identify him through his manner of walking, his clothing and his profile, McRae said. Authorities believe the man is Hispanic, he added.
There is no obvious motive in the case, McRae told reporters.