Police Hope Discovery of Truck Helps in Search for Accused Killer

by Samuel King (king@wsbt.com)

Tools

Police Hope Discovery of Truck Helps in Search for Accused Killer

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Jul 25, 2007 at 3:37 PM EST

Story Updated: Jul 30, 2007 at 8:53 AM EST

(WSBT) A pickup truck could be key in finding a man accused of killing two people, including his wife. Chicago Police found the truck Monday, two months after the murders.

Multimedia

Watch The Video

Omar Mora is accused of killing a gas station owner, and his wife, Lisa. Police believe the victims were romantically involved.

After the murders, police say Mora left town in the pickup. He hasn't been seen since.

Police say Mora has relatives in the Chicago area, and they say this is the first concrete proof Mora was there sometime after the murders.

By processing the evidence inside the truck, they hope to find out where he may be now.

Police believe Mora ditched the truck on Chicago's northwest side soon after the murders.

A Chicago police officer discovered it while using new equipment called plate reader technology.

“It's a video surveillance type equipment that scans license plates of vehicles parked in the streets, parking lots, and it was all computerized,” explained Detective Sgt. Scott Whitaker of the Warsaw Police Department.

The discovery is the first big break in the case and a big sigh of relief for law enforcement.

“We expected that the vehicle would be located through law enforcement efforts and through efforts of the community,” said Whitaker. “But we didn't detain the vehicle and it slipped away from us. Sure we had concerns.”

Tabatha Corn works next door to the gas station, which the first victim of the murders, Harpal Singh, owned.

“Every morning, I'd go and get something to drink, or I'd go through the car wash, and he would harass me and just tell jokes, just a great man,” she told WSBT News.

She, too, is pleased Mora's truck has been found.

“I hope that it leads to more evidence, that they can find the man, and put him, you know do him right, make him serve for what he did,” she said.

Police continue to get a few tips here and there, but Mora has continued to elude capture. They say they still need the public's help.

“You never know how that small amount of information from somebody calling in, may dovetail with what we found in Chicago, it may just be the piece we're looking for,” said Detective Sgt. Todd Sautter of the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.

Technicians from the Indiana State Police will search the car for evidence Thursday.

Police in Kosciusko County say they can't thank the Chicago Police Department enough. They say that department understands the urgency of the situation and will continue to provide assistance.

There is a $10,000 reward for Mora's capture.

More Good Stuff

WSBT Weather

Current Temp 45.5

More Weather

WSBT Weather

More Weather

On Demand

iPhone
Get the WSBT News and Irish Sports Report apps for your iPhone! Read more »
On DVD
Order a DVD of a WSBT news story! Read more »
Twitter
Follow us on Twitter! Read more »
Facebook
Connect with us on Facebook! Read more »
WSBT E-News
Daily StormTracker e-mails right to your Inbox! Read more »
Video On Demand
Miss a story on WSBT News? Watch it here! Read more »
CBS Shows
Watch CBS shows and news online, free! Read more »
WSBT Alert
Breaking News & Weather right to your cell phone! Read more »
Mobile
WSBT News on the go for your cell phone or PDA. Read more »
RSS Feeds
Get news and updates as soon as they're published. Read more »

Stock Quotes

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.