South Florida Vigil for Missing University of Florida Student Christian Aguilar

Sweetwater holding vigil for teen as father vows to continue search

The father of missing University of Florida freshman Christian Aguilar vowed to continue the search for his son as family members and friends plan to attend a candlelight vigil for the South Florida teen Thursday.

Parents Carlos and Claudia Aguilar, brother Alex and Christian's grandparents are expected to attend the 7 p.m. vigil at Carlow Park in Sweetwater. The vigil will be led by Father Luis A. Rivero of St. Thomas University.

Friends, family and authorities have been holding a massive search in Gainesville since Aguilar, 18, went missing on Sept. 20.

Service for Christian Aguilar at Miami Church

Aguilar, a graduate of Doral Academy Preparatory High School, was last seen with Pedro Bravo, his friend and former classmate, at a Gainesville Best Buy.

Police arrested and initially charged Bravo, also 18, with depriving a crime victim of medical care, but he was charged with murder after police say they found blood in Bravo's SUV and found Aguilar's backpack hidden inside a suitcase in Bravo's closet.

Bravo's attorneys have said that he is cooperating with authorities but so far Aguilar's body has not been found.

Last week, Gainesville police terminated their volunteer portion of the search for Aguilar, saying the law enforcement search would be scaled down.

Carlos Aguilar said Wednesday night that he'll keep searching and will head back to Gainesville after the vigil.

"If I don't find my son, I don't think I'm gonna stop. That's something that doesn't cross my mind," he said.

He added that he hoped the search would continue on a larger scale.

"A lot of people aren't feeling the same pain that I'm feeling as a father," he said. "They feel my pain but for some reason the resources, and they are tired too, they just stopped and I feel that that's not the proper way. This case is not solved."

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