Family IDs body found in vehicle as missing Milwaukee man: 'He is a really good guy'



MILWAUKEE -- The family has identified the body of a man found Wednesday near 72nd and Herbert as 47-year-old Leonard Bethly.

Officers were called to the scene around 7:30 a.m. after residents complained about a vehicle that had been parked in the area for a long time. Milwaukee police are investigating this as a homicide.

Bethly disappeared while running errands over two months ago on Dec. 11. His loved ones had been hanging fliers and offered a cash reward for his safe return.

"Every day since he's been missing, I've been expecting him to come walking through our door," Jessie Watkins said.

Watkins, a friend of Bethly's for over 30 years, says he was found dead in the back of his own truck with a gunshot wound to the head.

"He's not one of those guys going around having confrontations with people," Watkins said. "He is a really good guy. He has a really great heart. And for someone to do that, it didn't make sense to me."

Bethly leaves behind a 10-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son.

Friends and family are pleading for anyone with information to come forward.

Contact Milwaukee Police at 414-935-7360 or Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS.