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No motive found in homicide By MARK FREEMAN PHOENIX - Victor Cruz cruised the Rogue Valley Mall with his two teenage brothers late Saturday afternoon before taking them home to Phoenix just before his pager beeped. "He said, 'I'm going cruising. I'll be back later,'" said Carmen Brumble, Cruz's 24-year-old sister. "But he didn't come back." Cruz, 18, was discovered dead 14 hours later in his father's car parked in a secluded area off Old Military Road near Central Point. He was found in a passenger seat of the 1996 Ford Probe, shot at least once, police said, and a Monday evening autopsy confirmed that his death was a homicide. Police on Monday said they had no suspects nor a motive for Cruz's shooting, which blind-sided family members as a fate unexpected of the brother for whom they were planning a 19th birthday celebration next week. The high-school dropout who was forging a career as a cake decorator was an affable young man who loved flashy cars and cruising, said Brumble, one of eight children in the Cruz family. Brumble said family members know of no gang ties for Cruz and that he did not owe anyone money. She also said she did not know if her brother was involved in illegal drugs. "Everybody loved my brother," Brumble said. "He had a lot of friends, and he was always so happy." Investigators from several local police agencies spent much of Monday tracking down Cruz's friends and attempting to retrace his footsteps from Saturday night. "We're talking to a lot of friends and acquaintances, anybody who knew what he was up to," said Sgt. Rich Fogarty of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department. That includes trying to determine who paged Cruz on Saturday night and from what telephones, sheriff's Det. Dan Hobbs said. Neighbors in the Old Military Road area told police they heard two gunshots just a few seconds apart about 9:30 p.m., sheriff's Lt. Dewey Patton said. A neighbor found Cruz about 10:30 a.m. Sunday in his father's car, parked on a dirt road about 200 feet from the 3600 block of Old Military Road, Patton said. Fogarty said Cruz suffered a gunshot wound and there was no gun apparent there, leading police immediately to suspect foul play. Hobbs said the autopsy confirmed that he was shot with a handgun, but further tests were needed to determine what type and caliber handgun was used. Police, however, declined to reveal where or how many times Cruz was shot, but he did say the wound was in the upper half of Cruz's body. Fogarty also declined to say where in the car Cruz's body was found, other than it was not behind the wheel or in the trunk. "We're not saying much because we're not sure at this point what information is integral in helping determine who did this," Fogarty said. Further details from the autopsy were unavailable Monday night. The car was impounded and taken to the Oregon State Police Crime Lab in Central Point for a search and fingerprinting, Patton said. Brumble said her brother was the oldest of five children still living at their parents' home on the 1000 block of Arana Drive in Phoenix. "This family needs help," she said. "A lot of help." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.