Community leaders slam handling of case | Raw video: Suspect's aunt speaks out | Raw video: Investigators search suspect's apartment

A group of community leaders Tuesday slammed the Harris County Sheriff's Department's handling of the Tynesha Stewart case.

The press conference was called by members of the Nation of Islam, NAACP and Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee's office.

The group said they wanted to clear up what they called a series of half-truths, reports of what they say may or may not have happened to Stewart. They said unless there is a search, no one will really know what happened.

Stewart's ex-boyfriend, Timothy Shepherd, is said to have told authorities last week that he killed Stewart and put her body in a Dumpster.

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Harris County Sheriff's Office crime scene investigators used an ultraviolet device to scan the porch of murder suspect Tim Shepherd's apartment.

Authorities said he allegedly dismembered her body and burned it, quashing a search.

But the call came Tuesday that a search must continue.

"We want the truth," the Rev. Robert Mohammad said. "No matter where that truth leads us, we want the truth. We respect the wishes of the family, but we too are a family and we too have been traumatized by the rollercoaster that we, the community and the greater public have been put upon -- not only by the heinousness of the crime that has been described to us in all of the public pronouncement, but also in the unqualified incompetence of the mishandling of this case by the sheriff's department."

The department has not yet commented.

Stewart's family members said Monday night that a search would be "too traumatic" and that they do not support the push for a new search.

Stewart Family and KHOU - TV

Another search for evidence

Harris County investigators returned to the Shepherd's apartment Monday.

A crime scene unit from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office was on scene as investigators pulled items from the murder suspect’s apartment Monday afternoon. A collection of tagged brown bags could be seen on the entrance porch of the apartment.

Investigators also brought out what appeared to be a roll of carpet and several large bags of evidence.

Sheriff's investigators were also seen on the porch of Shepherd's apartment using an ultraviolet device to scan the wooden surface. It was the type of device used to search for blood evidence. Neighbors had told police that the murder suspect was seen burning items in his barbecue pit and at one point they could smell what they believed to be burning hair.

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Timothy Sherpherd appeared in court again Monday morning. Later that day investigators combed through his apartment and used an ultraviolet device to scan his outside patio.

The Harris County District Attorney was also not confirming or denying a report that a search of a trash dumpster last week uncovered a knife in a bag as well as a pair of sweatpants.

Shepherd faces a murder charge for allegedly killing 19-year-old Stewart, then dismembering her body and burning her remains on his patio grill.

When Shepherd returned to court Monday morning for a brief appearance he had family in the audience. His grandmother, Shirley Shepherd sat in the fourth row of the 183^rd District Court with her pastor, Tommie C. Phillips. She wept when he first walked in to court wearing a yellow jumpsuit. That color signifies he is on suicide watch.

Outside court, Janice Shepherd explained that Timothy was always good growing up but had difficulty getting along with his mother in his teenage years after discovering his stepfather was not his biological father. Janice Shepherd said Timothy’s father, Robert Miller Shepherd, died in a motorcycle accident in 1979 when his son was an infant.

“It’s a disgrace what has happened. It really is. He should have gotten a mental evaluation. He should have gotten some help. But his family turned its back on him. It’s a disgrace,” Shepherd’s aunt, Janice Shepherd, said.

Phillips told reporters the Shepherd family can’t explain why Timothy would do what he is charged with. The pastor also offered prayers for Stewart’s family and friends.

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Timothy Wayne Shepherd is charged with killing 19-year-old Tynesha Stewart, a Texas A&M University student who was home for spring break.

Stewart disappeared March 15. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said Shepherd confessed to strangling her with his hands. Investigators say he then dismembered her body in his apartment and burned her remains in two grills on his second floor balcony.

“He was a very sweet kid. He really was. He just exploded. All that was down inside of him,” Shepherd said.

Saturday, Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas said nothing remains of the 19-year-old’s body.

“It’s horrific. Absolutely horrific. The thought of it and how it’s going to affect the family is overwhelming almost,” prosecutor Marie Primm said.

In court, his attorney did not ask for the $250,000 bond to be lowered.

“The family believes the best place for Mr. Shepherd is in the safety of the Harris County Jail,” Defense Attorney Chip Lewis, said.

Shepherd was reportedly active in his church’s youth group, but strayed from the congregation after high school.

He delivered pizzas for a while but was unemployed when investigators say he committed one of the most gruesome crimes Harris County has ever seen.

Shepherd could get up to life in prison and a $10,000 fine if he is found guilty of murder. Primm said the case will next go to the Grand Jury for an indictment during the next 90 days.

As for past run-ins with the law, Shepherd's record indicates only one prior offense: an arrest for misdemeanor marijuana possession back in 2002.