Raw video: Suspect's aunt speaks out | Jason Whitely's report on Shepherd's court appearance

The family of a man accused of strangling and dismembering his ex-girlfriend's body is speaking out.

Tim Shepherd, 27, is charged with the murder of Tynesha Stewart, a Texas A&M student who went missing March 15.

Shepherd’s stepfather, Kenneth Washington, released a statement late Tuesday in which he said that he and his family are “praying for them. Words can’t express how we feel. It’s hard.”

Washington said his family prays that God is with the Stewart family.

He also said Stewart had Christmas dinner with his family and visited their home.

Shepherd remains in Harris County Jail on suicide watch and a $250,000 bond.

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Tim Shepherd

Meanwhile, a local landfill where investigators once believed Stewart’s remains might be will once again allow trash dumping Wednesday.

Dumping had stopped at a section of the landfill before it was learned the coed’s body was dismembered and burned.

Her family agreed to call off efforts to search for her remains.

Outside of Shepherd's Monday court appearance, his aunt said he was always good growing up but had difficulty getting along with his mother in his teenage years after finding out his stepfather was not his biological dad.

“It’s a disgrace what has happened. It really is," Janice Shepherd said. "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 real father, Robert Miller Shepherd, was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1979.

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.

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.