Print Page - Franco Garcia, 21yrs old, missing from Brighton MA 2/22/12(Body Found)

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/02/26/friends-family-hoping-for-safe-return-of-missing-bc-student/ (http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/02/26/friends-family-hoping-for-safe-return-of-missing-bc-student/)

(http://cbsboston.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/francogarciaflyer.jpg)

Friends, Family Hoping For Safe Return Of Missing BC Student
February 26, 2012 12:48 PM

BOSTON (CBS) – Friends and family handed out flyers Sunday, hoping to find a missing 21-year-old Boston College student.
Franco Garcia, a chemistry major, has not been seen since early Wednesday morning when he was out at Mary Ann’s bar in Brighton with friends.

“We hope to find my son. I need all the help we can get from state police, Boston police, Newton police. Anyone who can help us, please do it,” said Jose Garcia, Franco’s father.

He has not shown up for class or work since.
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Edit to add "body found" to subject line. MB

http://www.wickedlocal.com/allston/news/x1618024555/Police-search-for-missing-Boston-College-student
Police search for missing Boston College student
Franco Garcia, 21, last seen at Mary Ann's Bar in Brighton
February 24, 2012

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Newton police said Franco Garcia, 21, was last seen at about 12:15 a.m. Wednesday.

Investigators said Garcia was out with friends drinking inside Mary Ann's Bar on Beacon Street in Brighton.

Since then, investigators said Garcia has not attended classes or shown up for work at CVS in Waltham, and his car remains parked on campus.

Investigators said the last ping on Garcia's cellphone came at about 1:17 a.m. at nearby Chestnut Hill Reservoir, but his friends didn't leave the bar until 2 a.m.
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http://www.wickedlocal.com/allston/news/x1481610359/Police-search-for-missing-Boston-College-student
Information session Sunday at Mary Ann's Bar for missing BC student
Franco Garcia, 21, last seen at Brighton bar early Wednesday
Posted February 24, 2012, Updated February 26, 2012

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Newton police said Franco Garcia, 21, was last seen at about 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators said Garcia was out with friends drinking inside Mary Ann's Bar on Beacon Street in Brighton.Garcia’s family said since then, he has not attended classes or shown up for work at CVS in Waltham. His car remains parked on campus.
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Investigators said the last ping on Garcia's cellphone came from nearby Chestnut Hill Reservoir.“The last activity on the cellphone was a ping right in this location at about 1:17 a.m. on the 22nd,” said Newton Police Lt. Bruce Apotheker. “We’ve checked his ATM card, any sort of activity like that and there’s nothing.”Police were planning on using helicopters and dive teams to search the reservoir on Sunday.
A Facebook page has been set up to help find the college student. An information session will be held Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside the bar where he was last seen. Friends plan on handing out flyers at the event.Garcia’s mother said her son has never disappeared before and is pleading with the public for help.“We are going to find my son,” said Luzmila Garcia.
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According to this article:
http://www.necn.com/02/26/12/Search-for-missing-BC-student-grows-desp/landing_newengland.html?blockID=658434&feedID=4206
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"Friends say they didn't see him leave the bar early Wednesday morning. His cell phone was traced back to 1 a.m. to Boston College."
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The article just before this post:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/allston/news/x1481610359/Police-search-for-missing-Boston-College-student
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"Newton police said Franco Garcia, 21, was last seen at about 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. Investigators said Garcia was out with friends drinking inside Mary Ann's Bar on Beacon Street in Brighton.Garcia’s family said since then, he has not attended classes or shown up for work at CVS in Waltham. His car remains parked on campus."

"Investigators said the last ping on Garcia's cellphone came from nearby Chestnut Hill Reservoir.“The last activity on the cellphone was a ping right in this location at about 1:17 a.m. on the 22nd,” said Newton Police Lt. Bruce Apotheker."

Quote from: MuffyBee on February 26, 2012, 04:44:52 PM

Reservoir is very close to the bar (A):

(http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a306/klaasend/BostonCollegeMaryAnns.jpg)

http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2012/02/chestnut-hill-reservior-searched-today-for-franco-garcia-missing-student-from-newton-last-seen-mary-ann-bar/l6Hv4TQligcEmoHeiPk2aO/index.html
Chestnut Hill Reservoir to be searched today for Franco Garcia, missing BC student from Newton last seen at Mary Ann’s bar
February 27, 2012

State Police will use side-scan sonar in the Chestnut Hill Reservoir this morning as they continue to search for a missing Boston College student last reported to be heading towards a Cleveland Circle bar.

Franco Garcia, 21, was last seen by friends Wednesday morning at Mary Ann’s, a Boston bar long frequented by BC students.

Today, State Police divers will board a small boat and drag a side-scan sonar device through the reservior. If any objects are spotted, then divers will be deployed into the water, State Police said.

Yesterday, the State Police helicopter flew over the reservoir, but did not discover anything that would have helped in the search for Garcia, officials said.
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Garcia’s friends have been using a Facebook group, which accumulated more than 2,000 members since being created Friday night, and a Twitter hashtag, #FindFranco.

Garcia’s friends said they are encouraging anyone who was at Mary Ann’s Tuesday night to send photos or videos from that evening to findfrancoBC@gmail.com.
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http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-29/metro/31106838_1_divers-boston-college-boston-police-officers
State Police find no sign of missing Boston College student in Chestnut Hill Reservoir
By Travis Anderson
February 29, 2012

State Police divers searched the Chestnut Hill Reservoir yesterday for about four hours and found no sign of a Boston College student who went missing last week, but they plan to return today to continue their search, the agency said this afternoon.

Divers combed the reservoir for any clues that may shed light on the disappearance of Franco Garcia, 21, who was last seen early Wednesday at a Cleveland Circle bar.

Today, the divers will make “one last attempt to locate any significant evidence by conducting a second side-scan sonar search,” which will give them another look at the bottom of the reservoir, State Police said in a statement.

Also yesterday, additional troopers, Boston police officers, 14 recruits from the Boston Police Academy, and Transit Police searched wooded areas around the reservoir and the BC campus for several hours, State Police said.

“All searches were negative for any evidence connected to Mr. Garcia’s disappearance,” the statement said.
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http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2012/02/missing-student-home-searched-for-clues-bruce-springsteen-tweets-asking-people-help/hYlaeDhAlxRH2Q7dkg24jN/index.html
Missing BC student’s home is searched for clues; Bruce Springsteen tweets, asking people to help
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
February 29, 2012

(http://www.boston.com/Boston/rf/image_835w/Boston/2011-2020/2012/02/29/Boston.com/Metro/Images/Missing%20Student.JPEG-08ac8.jpg)

Newton and State Police are searching Franco Garcia's home in Newton today in hopes of finding a piece of information that may help locate the missing Boston College student.

"State and Newton police are at the house,'' said Lieutenant Bruce Apotheker, a spokesman for the Newton police, who are leading the investigation. "They are trying to find some clue, some investigatory lead, that would help them in the search for this missing young man.''

Investigators turned their sights on Garcia's family home as State Police divers today searched the Chestnut Hill Reservoir for the third straight day -- but with the same frustrating result.

"They found nothing on the [reservoir] bottom that would be considered in any way relevant to this case,'' said State Police spokesman David Procopio, who said divers would be back in the reservoir Friday. "It is our devout hope that we will be able to bring Franco home to his family safely.''

Procopio said Garcia's family supported searching their West Newton home. He said investigators are hoping to find something the family innocently overlooked, but might be noticed by trained law enforcement officers such as a "phone number, a scrap of paper, anything.''
Officials and his family have said Garcia was last seen around 12:30 a.m. last Wednesday by friends at Mary Ann's, a Brighton bar long popular with BC students. He parked his car on campus, which is in walking distance of the bar.

As they have done since he failed to return home last Thursday, Garcia's family today participated in the search, and were at the reservoir handing out missing person posters to passersby.

Garcia's family also quickly turned to social media for help in spreading the message that he was missing, and that his family wanted him safely home.

Today, they picked up the support of musician Bruce Springsteen, who tweeted a link to a poster created for the Garcia family. Springsteen's son is a student at BC.

"Help find Boston College student Franco Garcia. Last seen 2/22/12 in Brighton, MA. Call 617-796-2100 with any info,'' Springsteen tweeted. The telephone number is for Newton police.
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Procopio said State Police divers will be back at the reservoir Friday for a final search, skipping Thursday due to expected bad weather.
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http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/03/01/bruce-springsteen-twitter-student-missing/
Bruce Springsteen joins the efforts to find a missing Boston College student
by Aly Semigran
March 1, 2012

Bruce Springsteen‘s latest anthem is called “We Take Care of Our Own,” and the legendary musician is doing his part to help in the search for a missing person. Springsteen’s eldest son is a senior at Boston College, where fellow student Franco Garcia has been missing since being last seen at an area bar on Feb. 22. The rocker’s official Twitter sent out a post on Wednesday that read, “Help find Boston College student Franco Garcia. Last seen 2/22/12 in Brighton, MA. Call 617-796-2100 with any info” and attached the official missing person’s poster for Garcia.
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http://newton.patch.com/articles/missing-bc-student-captured-on-surveillance-photos
Missing BC Student Captured on Surveillance Photos
The photos were taken at approximately 12:18 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
By Melanie Graham
March 2, 2012

The Newton Police Department has released surveillance photos of missing Boston College student Franco Garcia.

The photos, which were taken at an ATM in Cleveland Circle, show Garcia walking by Citizens Bank around 12:18 a.m. on Wed., Feb. 22. The ATM is located at the intersection of Beacon Street and Chestnut Hill Avenue.

Police said it appears Garcia was heading north on Chestnut Hill Avenue.

Garcia, 21, of West Newton, was last seen by friends around 12:15 a.m. on Feb. 22 at Mary Ann's bar in Cleveland Circle.

According to Newton Police Lt. Bruce Apotheker, the photos now give police a better time frame as to when Franco was after he left the bar.
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(3 photos at link)

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20220303kin_cling_to_hope_as_cops_halt_reservoir_search_for_bc_student/srvc=home&position=also
Kin cling to hope as cops halt reservoir search for BC student
By Colneth Smiley Jr.
March 3, 2012

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Police yesterday released images from a Citizens Bank surveillance camera in Cleveland Circle showing Garcia walking by at 12:18 a.m. on Feb 22. “We think the photos — the most recent sighting of him — were captured right after he left Mary Ann’s bar,” said state police spokesman David Procopio.

State police yesterday ended their search of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir — where Garcia’s cell phone was last tracked to — and the surrounding area. Police have also searched the Garcia home looking for any clues the family may have overlooked.

While police continue their investigation, the family is also working with a private investigator.

“He’s somewhere and someone saw something, whether it’s a cab driver, another student, one of patrons in the bar, or someone walking their dog,” said private investigator Justin Billard. “We need someone that can put him outside that bar to fill in that time line.”
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Photo and Video at Link

http://www.necn.com/03/02/12/Renewed-search-for-missing-Boston-Colleg/landing_newengland.html?blockID=661746&feedID=4206
Private investigator helping Franco Garcia's family
March 2, 2012

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Billard is a private investigator who lives near the reservoir and has donated his services to the search. He said he can be a liaison between people who might have knowledge of Garcia's whereabouts and police.

"Maybe someone saw something and had information on day two, and they had that information, but they thought maybe on day 3 Franco would come home or be found. It's now day nine, and they have that information still and they feel maybe they'll be questioned as to why they didn't come forward earlier," said Billard.

Investigators feel confident they can rule out the reservoir aft this final search. Police said they've already searched Garcia's car, home and are in the process of searching his computer for clues. They've also scoured the wooded areas around the reservoir and examined surveillance video of businesses near the bar with no luck. Police said they do have other avenues to explore, but wouldn't be more specific.

http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2012/03/search-for-franco-garcia-missing-boston-college-student-resumes-chestnut-hill-reservoir/TZhqmYz8X4FvfZEN3fFsUK/index.html
Police turn up nothing in final day searching reservoir for BC student; surveillance photos are released
By Zachary T. Sampson, Globe Correspondent
March 3, 2012

Though divers concluded their fourth and final day of searching the Chestnut Hill Reservoir for Franco Garcia without success on Friday, State Police said they hope to generate fresh leads from new surveillance photos they believe show the missing Boston College student outside of a bank just minutes after he was last seen on Feb. 22.

State Police spokesman David Procopio said the photos show Garcia, 21, walking by Citizens Bank at 12:18 a.m., not long after he left Mary Ann’s bar in Cleveland Circle. Procopio said Garcia did not use the ATM outside the bank, but the photos do show that he was not wearing the black North Face jacket police originally thought he had on. Instead, he was walking alone near the intersection of Beacon Street and Chestnut Hill Avenue toward the Boston College campus in a light-colored button-down shirt.

The next person to walk by the camera passed 18 seconds after Garcia, Procopio said.

Though the search of the reservoir was terminated Friday, Procopio said State Police detectives will continue working with Newton police to find Garcia.
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Also this week, Garcia’s family began working with a private investigator and hired a bloodhound to assist in the search.

The investigator, Justin Billard, said he first spoke with the family Sunday and is volunteering his services.
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http://thebrandeishoot.com/articles/11761
Search continues for missing BC student
By Rachel Hirschhaut
March 9, 2012

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In a statement to the Boston Globe, State Police spokesperson David Procopio emphasized that the case “remains a missing persons case. There is no evidence to indicate foul play though foul play has not been ruled out.”

From comments:

Jennifer Angrisani Bailey · Works at First General Realty Corporation, a division of Boston Development Group
Flyers for Franco Garcia.
Public Event for MISSING SINCE 2/21- Franco Garcia · By William C. Zani
Saturday
10:00am until 12:00pm.
Cleveland Circle, adjacent to Mary Ann's.
The parents, family, and friends of Franco Garcia will be distributing flyers to all the people who want to help us search for our son.

Thank you,

Garcia Family

Franco's poor Mom. It's so sad. ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.necn.com/03/09/12/Luzmila-Garcia-We-need-our-son-to-come-h/landing_newengland.html?blockID=666472&feedID=4206
Luzmila Garcia: We need our son to come home
March 9, 2012

(NECN: Eileen Curran) – “Somebody have to see something. Please, I beg you as a mother that I’m dying every single day. Tell, call the police. Say something, please, please.”

It was an emotional plea from the mother of missing Boston College student Franco Garcia for information about the night he disappeared.

It was February 21st. Garcia and some friends went to Mary Ann’s, a popular bar with BC students.

At some point, he left his friends, and no one has seen him since.

Divers searched the near reservoir for four days and feel confident he’s not in there.

One of the best clues so far is bank surveillance video that captured Garcia outside by himself at 12:18 a.m. Wednesday.

“He did not have his coat on. His coat was in the bar. It appears he had every intention of coming back to bar, but no one was seen with him walking at the point. There’s no report of screams or tire screeching, which would suggest an abduction, might suggest an abduction,” said Capt. Paul Anastasia.
The video also indicates a good chance someone outside at the same time saw something.

“That street-based on video surveillance, we have did have multi people on that street and I do believe somebody saw something,” said private investigator Justin Billard.
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Video at Link

(There's mention in the video of some "forensic evidence" that's due to come back from testing early next week.)

http://articles.boston.com/2012-04-06/yourtown/31300913_1_private-investigator-holy-week-return-home
Private investigator: no leads in search for missing BC student Franco Garcia
By Katie Finnell and Caitlin Flaherty, Globe Correspondents, Globe Staff
April 6, 2012

More than six weeks after Boston College student Franco Garcia disappeared, authorities have hit a dead end, a private investigator working with his family says.

“There isn’t anything new — no sightings, no items found, we don’t have his wallet, there’s no activity on his bank card,” said Justin Billard, the investigator.

Garcia, a 21-year-old chemistry major, disappeared shortly after midnight on Feb. 22 after leaving the popular bar Mary Ann’s, near BC’s campus. He never returned to his parents' West Newton home, where he also lived. Police have found no trace of him since his disappearance.

Billard said in a case like Garcia's, some item of the missing person’s is usually found. Since a search of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir found no sign of Garcia and no other evidence has surfaced, Billard said there is reason to believe he is alive.

“We believe he met someone or went somewhere, but we don’t know where,” he said.

However, Billard said there also is a growing concern as time goes on, especially since there has been no activity on Garcia’s bank card.
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Garcia’s family attended Palm Sunday Mass on April 1 at St. Jude Parish in Waltham where a prayer was said for Garcia. Garcia’s family celebrated Holy Thursday in his honor at St. Mary Parish, also in Waltham.

They plan to continue attending masses throughout Holy Week, Tavera said.
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At BC, students said that as each week passes without Garcia's return, they feel more unsettled about the case.
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Still, Garcia has not been forgotten. Missing-person posters still hang on nearly every campus building and students said they remain hopeful.

“I think it’s sad how people have moved on, but no one knows what to do at this point,” said freshman Christine Haverly. “All we can do is hope.”

http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2012/04/body-found-chestnut-hill-reservoir-where-state-police-searched-for-franco-garcia/9asSQcvSFDC28AY1DXuqvM/index.html
Body found in Chestnut Hill Reservoir where State Police searched for missing Boston College student Franco Garcia
April 11, 2012

Authorities are at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir this morning where a body has been found.

The Boston Fire Department and State Police are working to retrieve the body, which was spotted by a passerby around 8 a.m. today, said State Police spokesman David Procopio.

He said the identity of the person was not immediately known.
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http://www.necn.com/04/11/12/Body-in-Chestnut-Hill-Reservoir-is-Franc/landing.html?blockID=687066&feedID=4753
Body in Chestnut Hill Reservoir is Franco Garcia
April 11, 2012

BOSTON (AP) - A dive team pulled the body of a missing Boston College student from a reservoir near the campus Wednesday, authorities told his family.
Franco Garcia, a 21-year-old who was studying chemistry and played clarinet in the symphony band, disappeared Feb. 22 after leaving a bar popular with college students. The Chestnut Hill Reservoir where his body was found is between the neighborhood the bar is in and the Boston College campus, where Garcia planned to stay in a friend's dorm the night he vanished.

Divers had already searched the reservoir several times but did not find him. Authorities have not yet said whether they suspect foul play.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57412421-504083/franco-garcia-update-body-of-missing-boston-college-student-found-in-reservoir-family-says/
Franco Garcia Update: Body of missing Boston College student found in reservoir, family says
April 11, 2012

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According to CBS Boston, the Boston Fire department says it received a call about the body at 7:57 a.m.

The reservoir is between the neighborhood of the bar Mary Ann's, where Garcia was last seen, and the Boston College campus, where Garcia planned to stay in a friend's dorm the night he vanished.

Divers had already searched the reservoir several times but did not find him. Authorities have not yet said whether they suspect foul play.

Garcia had gone to Mary Ann's with friends from Boston College's Symphonic Band but spent part of the night with friends from high school he met inside.

At closing time, his college friends couldn't find him. Police got involved a day later, when his parents returned from a vacation to New York City after not being able to reach him. His Volvo station wagon was parked where he left it with his clarinet inside. There was no new activity on his credit card and no one had used his cellphone since it pinged off a tower near the reservoir at 1:15 a.m.
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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1061123804&srvc=home&position=active
Body found in reservoir is missing BC student
April 11, 2012

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Police recovered the body from the Chestnut Hill reservoir this morning after a man out walking his dog saw it floating on the water and alerted authorities.

State police spokesman Dave Procopio said the man spotted the partially submerged body about 20 feet offshore at about 7:45 a.m. The man did not have a cell phone, Procopio added, so he hailed two joggers who then called 911 for help.

Conley said body was found 18 feet from the shore in about seven feet of heavily weeded water.

Police had searched the reservoir for four days in late February after Garcia went missing after leaving Mary Ann’s, a popular student hangout, on Feb. 22. Garcia’s cell phone was last tracked to the area around the reservoir.

Conley said the heavy vegetation under the surface of the reservoir may have played a role in police’s inability to find Garcia during that initial search.

Procopio said during police’s initial search in February, there was no signs to indicate that a person had fallen into the water. When asked if police believed body had been in water for seven weeks, he said the autopsy will answer that question.

When asked if any foul play was involved, Conley said, “We can’t foreclose anything.”
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http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/04/11/peruvian-community-left-with-questions-after-bc-student-body-found/
Peruvian Community Left with Questions After BC Student's Body Found
By Tanya Pérez-Brennan
April 11, 2012

Luzmila Garcia, center, is consoled after the body of her missing son, Boston College student Franco Garcia, was recovered at Chestnut Hill Reservoir in Boston, Wednesday, April 11, 2012. Franco Garcia disappeared Feb. 22 after leaving a popular bar near the college. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Boston – He was described as a quiet and calm family man who helped his mother in the grocery store she ran. He lived in a middle-class neighborhood near Boston and was studying chemistry in college.

Now family and friends of Franco García, 21, are trying to figure out what happened to the Boston College student who vanished in February, and on Wednesday turned up dead in a reservoir close to his school.

"He was a chico de casa [a homebody], very calm,” said Lilly Padilla, who has been friends with his mother for 10 years. “He was a little shy, but he never caused problems.”
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Many in the Peruvian community had come together after Garcia’s disappearance, putting up posters, attending vigils, and otherwise helping with search efforts.

“I think his body was just thrown in the water,” Padilla said. “I’ve been to that reservoir many times since he disappeared and I haven’t seen anything and to now have something appear floating in the water is very mysterious.”

This sentiment is echoed by other Peruvians, which community estimates place at anywhere from 12,000 to 15,000, including those registered with the Consulate and those who are undocumented.

Conrado Montero, one of the members of COPEMA, La Colonia Peruana de Massachusetts, one of the few Peruvian community organizations in the city, said it is hard to believe that García’s death is due to an accident.
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State police assigned to the District Attorney’s office will be conducting an investigation into the death, Wark said. An autopsy is expected tomorrow morning.
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http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2012/04/prosecutors-say-evidence-franco-garcia-case-suggests-accidental-fall-into-reservoir/1OccsazhtmeIfN1soYH6cO/index.html
Prosecutors say evidence in Franco Garcia case suggests accidental fall into reservoir
April 14, 2012

Suffolk County prosecutors say that evidence in the death of Franco Garcia, the missing Boston College student whose body was found Wednesday in the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, suggests his death was an accident.

A preliminary examination by state pathologists found that the body did not have any “broken bones or other significant injury.” Those findings, along with the cash and other personal effects retrieved from the young man’s clothing, “are consistent with an accidental fall into the water,” District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office said in a statement.

District attorney’s spokesman Jake Wark said both cash and a wallet were found in Garcia’s clothing.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will not make an official ruling on the cause of death until more toxicology tests are completed. Some of those tests were requested by Garcia’s family, Wark said.

“Usually, standard toxicological tests are sufficient,” Wark said. “My understanding is that the family wished for some additional tests to be done, and the medical examiner’s office intends to accommodate those requests.”

The investigation into Garcia’s final hours remains ongoing, however, Wark said, and detectives probing the case are still urging anyone with information about what Garcia was doing in the early morning hours of Feb. 22 to call 617-727-8817, Ext 1, or Boston College Police at 617-552-4000.
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Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

Missing, Exploited and True Crime => Missing Found or Presumed Deceased => Topic started by: klaasend on February 26, 2012, 04:06:57 PM