Found Deceased CA - Maricela Garcia, 26, Reseda, 12 Jan 2017 #3

[mistivon]

I have not lived here too long and am not real familiar with the area. Do you have an idea off the top of your head how far these places are from Reseda?
Also, I've looked primarily on maps (but some in person) for a place a body could be. There is just not that many out of the way places that I can see. A few parks but most don't have any type of significant vegetation. A few empty lots but the majority are fenced. We are going to stick with the previous plan of looking around parts of the basin. For example, on one road that runs through it is a large golf course on one side. On the other, a line of trees and thick vegetation. Several indicators that there were one or more homeless encampments right there. My next question is about accessibility. Now, if I'm driving around at night wanting to get rid of a body in my car, I just want to get it out of there. Thursday night, Mr. Mistivon and I saw some large vacant lots that looked GREAT for hiding a body. BUT, there was no real simple accessibility. One in particular was on a pretty isolated back road and I thought it looked great. However, when we actually pulled over to check it out a little better, we noticed it was surrounded by a tall fence. Around the OTHER side of the lot, was a small break in the fence, but to get to that, you pretty much had to walk the perimeter of the area. My husband wasn't deterred. He liked the location of the lot and said at 3am, it would be no big deal to park the car on this deserted road (although there were houses visible)then take Mari and walk around to the fence opening, go through it and leave her like in the middle of the field. I, on the other hand, thought it was too much trouble. My thought was He!! no. I just want to get her out of my car before someone gets nosy. While I was initially excited about the field, I could then just see some guy walking around in an empty lot at 3am with "something big" slung over his shoulder. Nope. There were a few areas where the wash runs thru the city I liked, too, until I noticed the same issue. So, we agreed on the basin area. Ideally, I'd want to put her in the forested portion or maybe in the middle of a huge overgrown field, but there's that issue of walking around with her slung over my shoulder. My thought is pull up, open door, push out, shut door, drive away. As fast as possible and as simple as possible, yet with still some work having to be done to locate her. There are areas off of Burbank Blvd and Woodley that I see as having potential. Obviously, she won't be very close to a camp or golf course, etc, because of the fragrance. Which reminds me, does the odor peak and then recede at some point? Or once decomp starts, it stays? I'm thinking I'll pull over near this tree line about 3am, walk to the trunk/passenger door, take her out, step about a yard into the cover of the trees and maybe just lay her right there on the ground under a few leaves. Rolling her down some sort of embankment would be ideal but I didn't see anything like that. While my personal opinion is that she is gone, I am just not sure she is near. I wonder if we will ever find her

Discussed with my husband...

Scenario 1 - Mojave, Angeles Forest, Santa Monica Mountains. Roll off a cliff into a canyon. The Valley is all so well lit and populated and if you are alone you need darkness to dispose of a body by yourself.

Scenario 2 - This one is hard because houses in the Valley are mostly one story, no basement, houses right next to each other, soundproofing a room... we will think about it. Nothing came to mind where you could bury a body nearby to return to it.

We will think on it and maybe others local will also.

 

[Steph9676]

I have not lived here too long and am not real familiar with the area. Do you have an idea off the top of your head how far these places are from Reseda?
Also, I've looked primarily on maps (but some in person) for a place a body could be. There is just not that many out of the way places that I can see. A few parks but most don't have any type of significant vegetation. A few empty lots but the majority are fenced. We are going to stick with the previous plan of looking around parts of the basin. For example, on one road that runs through it is a large golf course on one side. On the other, a line of trees and thick vegetation. Several indicators that there were one or more homeless encampments right there. My next question is about accessibility. Now, if I'm driving around at night wanting to get rid of a body in my car, I just want to get it out of there. Thursday night, Mr. Mistivon and I saw some large vacant lots that looked GREAT for hiding a body. BUT, there was no real simple accessibility. One in particular was on a pretty isolated back road and I thought it looked great. However, when we actually pulled over to check it out a little better, we noticed it was surrounded by a tall fence. Around the OTHER side of the lot, was a small break in the fence, but to get to that, you pretty much had to walk the perimeter of the area. My husband wasn't deterred. He liked the location of the lot and said at 3am, it would be no big deal to park the car on this deserted road (although there were houses visible)then take Mari and walk around to the fence opening, go through it and leave her like in the middle of the field. I, on the other hand, thought it was too much trouble. My thought was He!! no. I just want to get her out of my car before someone gets nosy. While I was initially excited about the field, I could then just see some guy walking around in an empty lot at 3am with "something big" slung over his shoulder. Nope. There were a few areas where the wash runs thru the city I liked, too, until I noticed the same issue. So, we agreed on the basin area. Ideally, I'd want to put her in the forested portion or maybe in the middle of a huge overgrown field, but there's that issue of walking around with her slung over my shoulder. My thought is pull up, open door, push out, shut door, drive away. As fast as possible and as simple as possible, yet with still some work having to be done to locate her. There are areas off of Burbank Blvd and Woodley that I see as having potential. Obviously, she won't be very close to a camp or golf course, etc, because of the fragrance. Which reminds me, does the odor peak and then recede at some point? Or once decomp starts, it stays? I'm thinking I'll pull over near this tree line about 3am, walk to the trunk/passenger door, take her out, step about a yard into the cover of the trees and maybe just lay her right there on the ground under a few leaves. Rolling her down some sort of embankment would be ideal but I didn't see anything like that. While my personal opinion is that she is gone, I am just not sure she is near. I wonder if we will ever find her

Mistivon they are all within a 30 min to an hour drive from Reseda. I would say she could really be anywhere. If it was random and a place of opportunity I wouldn't think she would be close but if it was a drug deal gone bad or planned she could be anywhere.

 

[Budgiebee]

From Reseda to: (this is to get to the edge of each area, then add to find a likely spot)

-- Lancaster - about 60 miles
-- Angeles National Forest - about 35 miles
-- Santa Monica Mountains - about 30 miles

Decomposition: I will look up that info next.

Discussed with my husband...

Scenario 1 - Mojave, Angeles Forest, Santa Monica Mountains. Roll off a cliff into a canyon. The Valley is all so well lit and populated and if you are alone you need darkness to dispose of a body by yourself.

Scenario 2 - This one is hard because houses in the Valley are mostly one story, no basement, houses right next to each other, soundproofing a room... we will think about it. Nothing came to mind where you could bury a body nearby to return to it. Added after the fact: Went back to search where bodies have been found in Southern CA and interestingly bodies are buried in backyards. Wonder if one would bury in their own backyard and then later move to where they would be found.

We will think on it and maybe others local will also.

 

[mistivon]

If she is gone, sadly I think this is her most likely location. I say sadly because without evidence of a crime, this won't even be searched. It is very possible that we are all just wasting our time

Has LE ruled out the possibility that she was placed in the dumpster by Kaiser, and that dumpster emptied, before the search was conducted?

 

[Budgiebee]

Still looking for how long after death the odor remains but the condition of a body at four weeks is:

• 4 weeks: Soft tissues such as the internal organs begin to liquefy and the face becomes unrecognizable. Leads to skeletonization where the skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments degrade exposing the skeleton.

 

[katydid23]

If she is gone, sadly I think this is her most likely location. I say sadly because without evidence of a crime, this won't even be searched. It is very possible that we are all just wasting our time

I don't think she would have been put there unless maybe much later in the night. I doubt she could have been killed and thrown in the dumpster right then and there, with all of those students in class on Thursday night, and the security guard and the parking lot lights.

Are we even absolutely certain that black piece of material was part of her choker? There are probably thousands and thousands of black choker necklaces in the Reseda area. And we don't even know if it was part of a choker or just a piece of black material from a piece of clothing, etc.

I do agree, that if she was killed, she may very well have been placed in a dumpster, as hard as it is to think about. But I don't think she was killed right there at Kaiser in such a short span of time.

Perhaps she did end up in a drug den somewhere nearby, and they eventually brought her back to that dumpster the next night or something, I suppose...:cry:

 

[katydid23]

If she is still alive, but being held, she could be anywhere, and probably being moved from place to place.

But if they took her that night alive, she may have been moved to Lancaster/Palmdale/San Bernardino area---huge population of drugs/pimps/HR out that way.

 

[Budgiebee]

After searching the internet for quite some time, although I cannot find when the scent of death subsides, it would have to be after flesh has totally decayed. I believe at four weeks there would still be an odor.

Still looking for how long after death the odor remains but the condition of a body at four weeks is:

• 4 weeks: Soft tissues such as the internal organs begin to liquefy and the face becomes unrecognizable. Leads to skeletonization where the skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments degrade exposing the skeleton.

 

[mistivon]

A month today and no closer to finding her. Help us find you, Maricela

 

[Spellbound]

(Yes, wise words. I got sick....still am lol)

Eta: Spellbound, you always have such caring posts, thanks for being here for all of us!)

Thank you, margarita25. There is so little I feel I can do from so far away, but to be here and try as hard as I can to give support and encouragement, or to search the internet for helpful info. I try as well as I am able.

[Mistivon asked] Which reminds me, does the odor peak and then recede at some point? Or once decomp starts, it stays?

I cannot find info on human decomp smells. but I did find this about animals. I would think it will be similar, the larger a body, the longer the smell lasts. I so hate that we have come this far, to have this type of questioning. :tears:

Be aware, this is a GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION below
https://www.reference.com/home-garden/long-dead-animal-smell-away-38e31de9e701c83b#full-answer
A small animal, such as a mouse, smells for about a week after death. A larger animal, such as a raccoon, smells bad for more than a month after death. The smell remains until the body completely decomposes down to dry bones.

The process of decomposition after death begins with intestinal bacteria starting to break down the internal organs. Insects lay eggs on the body, and maggots begin to feed, often as soon as 24 hours after death. After about three days, the body begins to bloat and emit fluids and foul-smelling gases. Maggots consume the bulk of the body during the next few days or weeks. The body continues to emit a strong odor during this phase of decomposition. Eventually, only bones, cartilage and dry skin are left behind.

 

[dally_doodle]

I am not local but after looking at the map again and zooming out I realized that I was actually in the area where she went missing a few years ago!

During your search this weekend, is the surrounding area around the Balboa Lake being looked at? Just from what I can see on Google Maps it looks like it is easy to access but also secluded with trees?

 

[GigTu]

For perspective and to give even more appreciation to the potential search areas....

 

[mistivon]

Thanks for the picture. It's a needle in a haystack
I'm unable to PM Leese for some reason so hope she's following. For anyone local, remember search time is now 11.

 

[Balboa Moon]

I'm going to reply here because I'm pretty familiar with the area.
I don't believe we will be searching Balboa Lake area exactly, but the area Misivon wants to search today is adjacent. There is a lot of brush around that whole area, however, they close the park gates, where the lake is, at sundown and even though one could get in, that would probably involve carrying the body. It's not impossible to get in/out of there with a car, though, after the gates are closed, because I've seen it happen when people get stuck inside after closing. Also, the area with the most brush is adjacent to the river, which as Katy and I both remembered was full after the rains in January.
Thank you for this suggestion. Keep those ideas coming!

I am not local but after looking at the map again and zooming out I realized that I was actually in the area where she went missing a few years ago!

During your search this weekend, is the surrounding area around the Balboa Lake being looked at? Just from what I can see on Google Maps it looks like it is easy to access but also secluded with trees?

 

[mst]

I just can't remember but was her ID in her wallet or is it missing?

 

[mistivon]

It was found in her wallet.

I just can't remember but was her ID in her wallet or is it missing?

 

[haven71]

A few things are being tossed around in my mind, and maybe it's just dryer fluff but...

I watched the video on youtube of Maricela and Sarah shopping at Goodwill. But they didn't seem to be shopping to me, they seemed to be walking briskly through aisles. IDK, maybe because of the circumstances it just seemed odd to me, and it seemed like a lot of men "noticed" them. I can't help but think they were looking for "someone" there, not "something" just judging by the video.

Is it true one phone was ringing incessantly before she left the store (forgive my memory)? It seems to me there's a good chance that someone she did not want to hear from was harassing her to the point that she may have taken off outside, and either spoke to the person out of frustration, or just threw the phone out of fear or anger at the other person on the end of the call? Or did I read that it was just music playing on the phone and she was trying to shut it off, that it wasn't an actual phone call? I guess what I'm asking is, WHICH phone was found smashed behind the Goodwill?? I can also see her meeting someone and that someone grabbing that phone away from her and throwing it or running over it (a jealous male friend who realized she had a 2nd phone?)? But why keep this all away from her sister, who was waiting inside?

I feel maybe she ran out due to frustration, but I find it a little odd Sarah stayed inside. For 15 minutes? IIRC wasn't Maricela the one supposedly looking for an outfit for a party? Did Sarah just browse for 15 minutes, or what did she do when Maricela was gone? Did she try to contact her sister by phone to see what was taking so long? Did she get through?

The dog finding her scent in several rooms of the church is certainly puzzling as well. If it were me and I were scared, I might run inside, a million thoughts in my head of what to do, consider hiding there, then thinking it was safer to sit in the chapel in plain sight, but with a quick exit?

I'm also of the camp that perhaps drugs played a part in this. A current dealer or seller come to mind, or even an ex or new interest of Maricela's.

Praying and praying she has not met with foul play, but it just doesn't look very good at this point.

 

[Leese12]

Hi Leese. No worries about today. I ended up almost passing out from the heat, lack of sleep and hunger, so you didn't miss much Hung a lot of flyers and talked to alot of people, although two of our targets could not be located. Mr. Mistivon is going back tonight to see if they are around. If you want to come search tomorrow, that's great although it will probably just be the five of us. We can either stay in one group or split up into two. The plan is to search the brush and homeless camps along Woodley and Burbank in the Sepulveda Basin. After that, there's a few other areas I'm interested in and would love to hear suggestions. If there is any way you can PM me, I'll give you my cell number and can take yours if possible. I changed the search time to 11:00 AM because something came up for me at 10:00 AM. I should definitely be there then, but if not, the most awesome Balboa Moon (Mom) will get things started. Can't wait to bounce theories, ideas and suggestions off you, too!

Mistivon---Thanks for the update, I apologize for not getting back to you last evening. I am not able to meet up at 11am due to church but I will get in touch with you when I return home, I will PM you my cell no. Hang in there & hopefully I will see you later on, if not I do want to help with anything I can. My heart will not let go of this case nor should you be doing this all alone. Hugs~~

 

[mistivon]

I cannot believe we didn't find anything this weekend. That leads me to believe that she is not in this area. The only hope i have left is that we still have not located the people specified in the tips. Mr. Mistivon and I (and Balboa Moon, I'm sure) will continue looking throughout the week. Until I find those people and they say they have not seen her, then I can't absolutely rule it out. However, since no one else is familiar with her, I don't think she's here. I've never thought she was voluntary anyway, but I still had such hope for the weekend.
We looked along most of Burbank Blvd and had a couple of scares (such as the pit bull guarding one homeless camp and the vultures circling, which turned out to be a small animal), but it's not even a drop in the bucket. I'm trying so hard to have hope but it's starting to fade. I'm so frustrated because I have absolutely no idea. I think someone knows where she is or knows more about her disappearance than they are letting on. I wish those people would just say what they know and lead me in a direction. I can't help but feel, "just one more hour" or "just one more block." What if she was just past where we stopped looking? But by the same token, if she's being trafficked, she could be in New York or New Mexico.
Thanks for letting me vent. I'm just so sad and I feel so lost. I don't know how or why the family is not out searching 24/7. How can they NOT be (although we did talk to some people today that said an older Hispanic man was out there just a day or so ago asking)? I know I am not even family and some people don't understand what I am doing. I ask myself that, too. I can't explain it. I just know that if I was lost I would pray to God that someone would search for me without giving up. I can't quit

ETA: Aren't there a few girls missing from the Yolo county area where Papini was found? Are there threads for them or does someone have a list/ I seem to recall there are quite a few. TIA

 

[dally_doodle]

I'm going to work on getting information on the recent missing women that seems to keep popping up in the area. I'm going to try and map it to see the proximity and to see if there are any similarities.