Sarah Brooke Gonzales McLinn

The mother of missing 19-year-old Sarah Brook Gonzales McLinn now says there may have been more than one person involved in the homicide of a 52-year-old man whose body was discovered inside the Southwest Lawrence home he and McLinn shared.

More than a week after Lawrence police discovered the body of Harold M. Sasko while looking for McLinn, Michelle Gonzales, McLinn’s mother, said in a statement Sunday that the family is convinced McLinn is “a victim.” Gonzales urged anyone with information to come forward.

“We understand that the police can’t say much, because the investigation is still occurring,” Gonzales wrote. “However, that doesn’t ease our worries. The police did say that even if Sarah was involved, she could not have acted alone based on the traumatic injuries Mr. Sasko suffered.”

Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman, said on Saturday that police still don’t know how many people were present at the time of Sasko’s death, and a suspect has not yet been identified. On Friday, McKinley said police do not know what role, if any, McLinn played in the homicide.

Calls to police for comment on Gonzales’ statement were not returned Sunday.

The following is Gonzales’ complete statement:

“I am the mother of Sarah Brook Gonzales McLinn. The police haven’t told us what information they have. All we know is that for more than a week, Sarah has made no contact with family or friends, including her sister Ashley. Ashley and Sarah are very close and talk several times a week. We understand that the police can’t say much, because the investigation is still occurring. However, that doesn’t ease our worries. The police did say that even if Sarah was involved, she could not have acted alone based on the traumatic injuries Mr. Sasko suffered. This makes us even more convinced that Sarah is a victim. We do not know what happened, but we want Sarah to know that we love her and we are here for her and we have help for her if she needs it. We want the person or persons who have Sarah to let her call home and come home. We want anyone who thinks they may have seen Sarah to report it to their local police department.

“We also ask that anyone with information on Mr. Sasko contact the Lawrence Police Department. Mr. Sasko and Sarah were roommates. Sarah helped him in his CiCi’s Pizza franchises. We know of no conflict between Mr. Sasko and Sarah. However, someone had a dispute with him or dealings with him of a nature that led to his homicide. If anyone knows a person or persons who could have had a motive for killing Mr. Sasko, please contact the Lawrence Police Department. If anyone knows of a person or persons who could have had dealings with Mr. Sasko of the kind that could lead to violence, please contact the Lawrence Police Department. We believe that any leads we can get on Mr. Sasko and the reasons behind the incident can help us find Sarah and bring her home.”