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Gay Hate Crime Victim's Portrait Winds Up At BART Lost And Found

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The search is on for the artist of a special chalk portrait that was discovered on a Bay ARea Rapid Transit train earlier this month.

Someone picked up the 2 1/2 by 3 foot portrait on one of the cars around New Year's Eve or New Year's Day and turned it into BART lost and found.

The drawing, in shades of blue and gray, shows a clear image of Matthew Shepard, the 21-year-old man who was killed in an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming back in 1998. The caption on the portrait reads 'Matthew Shepard RIP'.

"What it didn't have," said BART spokeswoman Luna Salaver, "was a name attached to the inspiring portrait that would have made it easier to return to its rightful owner."

So Salaver went online, located the Matthew Shepherd Foundation in Denver, and reached out to curators in hopes that they would be interested in having the piece. Jason Marsden is the Executive Director.

"It's exciting to think that Matthew's story is still inspiring people some 15 years after his death, not to mention the stars aligning to help this particular piece make a 1200 mile journey that may not be fully complete," said Marsden.

If you know the artist you're urged to contact BART or the Matthew Shephard Foundation. You can find contact information on the links and numbers section of our website...cbssf.com

MARK SEELIG, KCBS

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