Mystery surrounds missing Durham man's death after he was found shot to death in his car

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The mystery is swirling after a Durham man was found dead after going missing for nearly a month.

19-year-old Semar Barbour disappeared and was reported missing from Durham on October 23rd. It wasn't until Monday, November 13 that his body was discovered in the back seat of his car parked in a Morrisville neighborhood--miles away from Durham.

The car with his body inside was right under neighbors' noses for almost a month. It wasn't until last week they began to notice a smell.

"I noticed on my porch last week and looked around trying to see if there was some sources of it and couldn't find anything near my house and kind of rolled on with life," says neighbor Amber Jackson.

The car had been parked since around the time Semar went missing. With the windows tinted and the car not blocking any assigned spots, neighbors didn't think anything of it.

"My grandson said they were walking by the car here trick or treating and everything they had no idea a body was laying out there so it really does shock me," says Michael Holland.

Monday, someone finally saw Semar who they thought might have been sleeping.

"They saw some knees in the back of the car and they called police," Jackson says.

Morrisville Police quickly realized this was a murder. Semar was found with multiple gunshot wounds, but there were no weapons in the car. The case now moves from Durham to Morrisville where the chief is now hitting the ground running and says he already has several leads.

"We're going to be talking to family members, friends, neighbors those types of things really try to put to the pieces of the puzzle together," says Morrisville Chief Pete Acosta.

Until then, family and complete strangers will be watching and waiting.

"I just hope they find the answers that they're looking for," Jackson says.

For now, the murder case will stay in the hands of Morrisville Police.

The chief says if evidence suggests Semar was killed in Durham and then transported, the case could be transferred back to Durham Police.