TIJUANA, Baja (CBS 8 ) -- There are new leads in the case of a Chula Vista doctor who's been missing for a year and a half.
CBS News 8 took an inside look at evidence in the case and it appears the doctor may have been murdered south of the border.
Dr. Hugues Bellevue disappeared from his clinic, Saint Marc Hospital, in Tijuana on November 13, 2013.
“Unfortunately, we believe he lost his life on the day he went missing,” said private investigator Bill Garcia, who was hired by the doctor's family to chase down new leads.
“There's dozens and dozens, almost a hundred elements of evidence in this case and a year and a half later it still hasn't seen a judge,” said Garcia.
Early on, Mexican state police served a search warrant on Dr. Bellevue's clinic. They also found his office furniture at a different location.
“This furniture ended up with some blood splatter that was deemed to be his DNA. There was high velocity blood splatter that was found in different areas of the room,” said Garcia.
Investigators interviewed witnesses who reported hearing gunshots on the night the doctor went missing.
Police also have questioned two business associates. Garcia believes the motive was money.
"They saw Dr. Bellevue as a cash cow and thought they could go back and essentially extort him for money,” Garcia said.
Now, there's a new lead that could break the case wide open: a body found in Tijuana – decapitated and dismembered – just a month and a half after Dr. Bellevue disappeared.
“These remains have been buried the better part of a year,” said Garcia.
The private investigator obtained photographs of the severed head, taken before Mexican officials buried the unidentified remains.
Originally, the remains were thought to be those of a female, but Garcia questions that conclusion.
Garcia has been comparing the photos of the severed head to photos of Dr. Bellevue.
“There are a lot of points on these photographs that were similar to Dr. Bellevue; the chin, the cheeks, the hair line, the nose, and what have you,” said Garcia.
So far, no forensic expert has reviewed the photos. But Garcia is hoping his photographic comparison will be enough to get the remains exhumed for DNA analysis.
“There needs to be further examination of these remains, even if it's not Dr. Bellevue, it is someone,” said Garcia.
The Chula Vista Police Department is still investigating Dr. Bellevue's disappearance as a missing person's case.
CVPD has requested official copies of the Mexican photographs and hopes the San Diego FBI office can do a forensic comparison.