Border Video Surveillance Raises Questions on Missing Family's Whereabouts

March 8, 2010 — -- Surveillance footage of a family of four walking over the U.S.-border and into Mexico fits the description of the San Diego family who have been missing for more than a month, according to authorities.

The video was shot at the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Feb. 8, just four days after the McStay family was last heard from, San Diego Sgt. Roy Frank told ABC News' affiliate KGTV.

Frank said that the family spotted on the video seemed to be "casually strolling into Mexico" and that each adult was holding hands with one of the toddlers. There was no sign any of the family members were in distress.

Joseph McStay, 40, and his wife, Summer, 43, disappeared along with their two children, Gianna, 4, and Joseph, 3, from their their serene San Diego-area community more than a month ago.

Even without a positive identification that the family in the video is the McStay family, investigators are pleased with the new information that they are characterizing as a "lead" in the mysterious case.

"What we see in this video is a lead and that lead is encouraging to us," Frank told AOL News. "We can't be sure that it is the McStay family, but we do know their vehicle was parked about five minutes away, walking distance, on the same day the video shows a family of four walking across the border."

The McStay's car, a white 1996 Isuzu Trooper, was found with the children's carseats still intact nearly 80 miles from the family's home, raising questions about any possible ties the family may have to Mexico.

But Joseph McStay's brother, Mike McStay, doubts that the family on the surveillance tape is his missing relatives.

Reached by phone, McStay declined to comment, instead referring ABCNews.com to the blog he set up to aid in the search of his brother, sister-in-law and two nephews.

Writing that he has seen the videos, McStay says he cannot be sure that it is his family.

"The video quality is very poor, I personally could NOT make a positive identification," he wrote.

"Careful reviews of the video shows that there are two or three different families passing by, one with a little girl actually, and the other with a man who walks nothing like my brother," wrote McStay.