A theft has dealt another crippling blow for the family of Connor Kepple, a young EMT who died under suspicious circumstances in March.
10news has discovered prosecutors are weighing possible murder charges.
Amid the memories of his fun-loving brother Conner, the grief lingers like a wound for his big brother Trenton.
The wound was recently re-opened.
“It felt like I lost everything again,” said Trenton Kepple of the loss of his brother and the latest twist.
The Kepple family's nightmare began on a night in March. Police say Conner, 21, was involved in a scuffle outside the Bassmnt Club in the Gaslamp Quarter.
He walked away from it but died five days later on his 21st birthday.
“It's one of those things you feel so overwhelmed, to the point of being crushed,” said Trenton.
And so, a family grieves and searches for answers.
Detectives are still waiting on medical reports but they tell 10news the case has been referred to prosecutors for murder charges
Trenton, who feels a huge loss, took solace inside his brother's prized possession: a 2005 Chevy Colorado.
“He loved that truck," said Trenton. "It was eerie but I feel like he is with me."
Trenton took over the payments on the truck. Driving it makes him feel closer to his brother.
“It makes me feel safe," said Trenton. "It felt like it was more than myself in there. It felt like my brother was there."
Last Friday, he drove the beloved truck to Fiesta Island for a bonfire with friends.
After he helped pull a friend's truck out of the mud, he returned to find his camp ransacked and the truck missing.
“The truck's gone, he's gone and now I have nothing,” he said.
Trenton is now making a plea for tips, hoping he can find the truck and fill a void now made bigger by the missing truck .
The Kepple family has shared their quest for the missing truck on sites like the East County Emergency Updates Facebook page.
“It would mean the world," Trenton says of the truck's return. "I’d get another piece of my brother back."
The missing truck is tan and may have a Connor Kepple sticker in the back window.
If you have information, call San Diego Police at (619) 533-5710.
