Recent deaths on San Antonio’s trails have some residents concerned

The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday identified the man found dead at the Walker Ranch Trailhead, one of at least two recent homicides on San Antonio trails.

Pete Jose Castillo, 39, was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds while sitting in an abandoned golf cart covered with a tarp October 5. His death was ruled a homicide.

San Antonio police told the San Antonio Report that they do not have any suspects at this time.

And in October, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office enlisted the help of San Antonio Crime Stoppers to find new leads in the killing of 63-year-old Stacey Dramiga, who went missing on Sept. 22. Her body was found the next day in a wooded area of trails east of Dafoste Park.

Police also ruled her death a homicide. They believe she was killed during a day walk.

Trail safety has recently been a top concern for San Antonio trail-goers and officials who want to know more about recent trail murders, despite city and county law enforcement assuring the public that the trails are safe to visit.

At Tuesday’s Linear Creekway Parks advisory board meeting, all but one board member was silent on trail safety as park staff presented future creek trail connection projects.

District 2 Advisory Board Member Sue Kalberg told the board that it should consider requesting a report on crime statistics from the San Antonio Park Police, a department separate from the San Antonio Police Department that oversees trail safety, given recent crime incidents on san antonio trails.

She said more than 70 people On October 20, gathered at Comanche Park for safety and self-defense activities after the recent killings.

“I’m just saying people are scared out there,” she said. “It’s on social media, people are very concerned about security.”

Kahlberg, a veteran television news reporter for KENS5, told the board that previous incidents and these murders indicate that serious crimes are occurring as the city expands.

On June 8, 26-year-old Navy veteran Jarvis McIntyre was reported missing while visiting San Antonio of St. Louis, Missouri, and was found dead in a wooded area near Holbrook Road on June 14, near the Salado Creek Hike and Bike Trail.

The police could not confirm that it was McIntyre, but in 9-1-1 call the police On June 9, a caller from Holbrook Road told the dispatcher he was being chased by a man with a rifle, but the caller did not provide specific details of his location.

As of Friday, the cause and manner of McIntyre’s death had not been determined.

In the same month, on June 28, the woman was set on fire while she was sitting in her car along Salado Creek near the Rice Road trailhead. She survived, but suffered severe burns to her arms and legs. A suspect in arson causing bodily harm was arrested.

And 37-year-old Moody Arteaga, who had been missing for weeks, was last seen on August 27, when he planned to hike the Leon Creek Trail. On Sept. 7, it was found floating at the SAWS treatment plant — more than 22 miles on the south side.

Although the murders occurred on individual roads, they all belong to a network of routes throughout the city.

The Howard W. Peak Greenway Trail System is a growing network of approximately 100 miles of developed multi-use and accessible trails, as well as an additional 1,600 acres of open space near streams and natural areas. The trails are open from sunrise to sunset. One of these waterways, the Salado Creek Greenway Trail, runs through Phil Hardberger Park and connects to the park’s network of trails. credit: Phil Hardberger Park Security

Officials say the murders are being investigated as isolated incidents and are urging everyone to be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious activity.

SAPD spokesman Ricardo Guzman told the San Antonio Report that Park Police are responding to crimes reported on the community crime map by the date and time of the offense.

But because BCSO is investigating Dramiga’s Oct. 5 murder, and because the time of Castillo’s death is unknown, those two trail deaths were not on the SAPD crime map as of Friday.

Data on the crime map is provided by zip code on the map and by street number, the city said, so the map doesn’t show exactly where crime is happening on San Antonio’s trails.

Overall, the number of violent crimes in San Antonio has decreased, mainly due to strategy for protecting hot spots of the city. But the agency doesn’t release specific areas along its hot spot plan for officer safety, so it’s unknown whether areas on the hot spot trail are included.

As the trails expand to cover more of the city, more people will learn about them and use them, said Creek Way Trail Advisory Board Chairman John Kent. Kent added that some of those wooded areas include homeless encampments, a problem the city acknowledged in a statement to the San Antonio Report.

After Wednesday’s meeting, he said he believed the killings were isolated and random.

The Creekway Parks Advisory Board rejected a request for a report on park police crime statistics at its meeting last month, but asked for it at its next meeting on Dec. 10.

“It was just too early. We don’t know any facts,” Kent said. “A month has passed and we still don’t know anything…

Where are the hotspots and what are they doing about it? Do they have a target group that will focus on these areas? … We don’t know yet.”

The city’s Parks Department announced plans for the extension more emergency call towers along the tracksbut these plans are still in the development stage.

City spokesman Luke Simons said the city has more than 100 park police officers who patrol the parks day and night on ATVs, bicycles and on foot.

According to him, DAP has already added patrolmen and increased the frequency of patrols along the roads.

“Adding new officers is a decision that must be brought to the City Council and voted on,” he said in a statement. “If the community feels the need for more park police, that can be brought to the attention of the council members and brought up to future city council budget sessions.”

If you believe you have any information about the recent homicides, please call the SAPD Homicide Unit at 210-207-7635.