“We just want the body back.” That’s the message the Sheriff of Zapata County has sent to the Mexican drug cartel suspected of being involved in the death of a jet skier on the Mexican side of an international lake. 30-year old David Hartley went missing last week while riding with his wife on jet skis on Lake Falcon. Tiffany Hartley says armed men approached them in boats and started shooting. Hartley says her husband was shot in the head. Police say they believe her. So far, neither his body nor his jet ski has been found. Mexican police called off their search after threats were made on their safety. It’s clear who runs the area along the Mexican side of Lake Falcon. Today, Sheriff Sigi Gonzalez said in a press conference that he would like David Hartley’s body back. He emphasized that since the crime happened in Mexican waters, he could not pursue the criminals. Will the drug cartel heed his plea and return the body, if indeed they have it? So far, the Sheriff has heard nothing.

Meantime, we’re hearing for the first time from the witness who saw the end of this tragedy. A man has come forward and done an interview with a local TV news station in South Texas. He describes seeing a boat chasing after Tiffany Hartley and how distraught she was when she got to shore. She had blood on her clothes. Investigators are hoping that information will help put to rest suspicions that Hartley wasn’t telling the whole story regarding her husband’s death.

Lawmakers gathered today for a press conference at the Zapata County courthouse. They say this incident highlights the need for more security, not just on land, but also on the two lakes and river that straddle the Texas border with Mexico. Whether this will prompt action and more dollars to flow to the area, remains to be seen. Everyone continues to emphasize that it’s just not safe– apparently even for Mexican police– to venture on the Mexican side of Lake Falcon.