'An Unbelievable Individual': Search Continues For Chris Urbina's Killer
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A plea to find the person who killed 53-year-old Chris Urbina.
He was murdered nearly a year ago in the middle of the day in a River Grove forest preserve.
As CBS 2's Jim Williams explains, his killer has never been found leaving his best friend searching for answers.
On August 8, two men walked into a forest preserve in River Grove. Only one walked out after a vicious attack.
Martin Christopher Urbina's laughter was like a machine gun of happiness, his friends said.
"He was an unbelievable individual. He always smiled. Never seen him frown," said best friend Bob Staley. "He always wanted to make sure you had a good time."
At 53 years old Chris, they called him, was his 90-year-old mother's constant companion.
"They were best friends. He took her out to dinner often. That's who his partner was. That's what he did," Staley said.
Chris was Bob Staley's best friend. It's a friendship that began more than 30 years ago in Detroit and continued after they both moved to Chicago.
Until Chris was murdered last August.
"I dropped to my knees. Shocked. The whole world changed," Staley said.
On August 8, shortly after 1:00 in the afternoon, Chris Urbina was stabbed to death here at the Cook County Forest Preserve in River Grove.
Detectives told Staley that Chris and another person had been in a beige or light blue Mercury Grand Marquis, seen in surveillance photos around the time of murder.
"Ended up getting out of the vehicle with this individual, was killed within minutes and the individual fled the scene," said Staley.
Staley is baffled. He said it was unlike Chris, a quality analyst for the Ford Motor Company, to do anything but work in the middle of the day.
"Daytime is his business time. Leisure is at night. Always has been his whole life," Staley said.
Staley told us Chris Urbina's mother Henrietta is living with relatives in Michigan.
Her life shattered. Nearly a year after his best friend's murder, Bob Staley wants justice.
"We're still waiting for that door to open and we're not letting ourselves to think he's gone," Staley said. "We're holding ourselves together is what we're doing."
The Cook County Sheriff's Police Department is working the case and continue to seek information.
