It was found not too far from his home - near the old Warrie Head Bridge. An on-site post mortem revealed that Mendez had been shot to the head. Although the family is relieved that they found their loved one's body, they are very much broken by his murder and want police to find the man who did it. I was at the scene when they carried Mendez's body out.

Verna Mendez sat patiently on her verandah waiting for her son's body to be brought out for burial. She couldn't bear seeing her son's corpse.

Verna Mendez, Mother
"I don't want to see him that way, I want to picture him like the way when he left here that Wednesday, he was smiling and the person that I knew."

But that jovial person she knew is gone.

Mendez's body was found yesterday evening in a creek about a 45 minutes' walk beyond the old Warrie Head Bridge. His body was stuck on a large tree branch that had collapsed in the creek. Mendez's father was with the search team when they found his son.

Pablo Mendez, Father
"The only thing that I saw when I see the body is his little black Nike tennis and his tattoo of his mom and mines in the next foot and that is the only thing I see from my son."

And today Family and friends huddled by the roadside as the police and forensics team did an on-site post mortem. And around midday, the team finally emerged with Mendez's body.

They placed his body in the coffin and drove off to the cemetery - where his family and friends were waiting to bury him.

Verna Mendez, Mother
"I was happy, I was glad that they found him and sad in a way that yes I know he is dead but glad that I have a body to bury."

Pablo Mendez, Father
"I was not going to stop looking for him until I find my son because I was praying and asking God to lead me where my son is and I thank him because I got my son. Now it is not how I want it but I am still going to bury his body at the burying ground and then I can always go sit down on that tomb and talk to my son because I was very close to my son, I love my son a lot." (CRYING)

It's a bitter sweet end for the Mendez family and Teakettle villagers. But the bitterness still overcomes because although they have laid their loved one to rest, they want the murderer to pay.

Alicia Reyes, Cousin
"We are here suffering and then they are happy and I don't think it should be that way, we need justice."

Courtney Weatherburne
"If you have anything to say to those people who actually did this to your son what would you say to them?"

Verna Mendez, Mother
"I don't have words for them right now, I just hope that they stop that killing and that hateful heart that they have because that is satanic."

Police are not sure if they took Mendez to the old bridge to kill him or if they went to dump his body there after killing him somewhere else. We will get more details from police tomorrow. As you heard in our story yesterday the family and the police know who the alleged killer is and we will keep you updated as to when he is caught. Again Mendez died as a result of a bullet to the head.