Mother holds out hope of finding body of missing son

Police have stopped looking for Anthony Fuentes. But his mother hasn't.

Volunteers are helping the mother of a murdered Fayetteville man find his remains. This weekend, divers and boats equipped with sonar are picking up that search on the Cape Fear River.

"It's been 16 months since Anthony Fuentes disappeared and was later said to be murdered. Since that time, Hurricane Florence has raised the river level and churned up the bottom. But that's not stopping his family from trying to find him.

On Friday, two boats went in the water. The victim's mother and father were onboard. Volunteers were using sonar to mark suspicious debris at the bottom of the river that divers from Virginia will check out over the weekend.

Fuentes was last seen leaving Izzy's Sports Bar on Ramsey Street on March 3, 2018. Police have since charged Ryan Chavis, 23, with his murder. Investigators were told Fuentes was killed then his body was stuffed into a dog cage that was dumped into the river.

Fuentes' mother said she has to find her son's body for closure.

"I cannot wait 15-20 years like it happens like, somebody going to stumble to a cage with a person inside, when I know my son ... it's been said, that he's there," said Mayra Fuentes.

The volunteers searched areas south of the I-295 bridge in Fayetteville. Investigators were told Fuentes's body was dumped into the river from that bridge. It's believed the river's current has probably moved the remains downstream.