TX TX - Emily Garcia, 15, pregnant, Canyon Lake, 12 Feb 1993

[KariKae]

After hearing the things that happened to Michelle Knight, I think the murdered was trying to induce a miscarriage. I would guess Emily refused to have an abortion and the murderer tried to help her along. That would be logical with the starvation and beating.

 

[LittleMissContrary]

It seems odd or possibly informative in some way that the killer bound her hands and feet after she was dead. Leaving her naked also doesn't strike me as something a former boyfriend would do. Whoever killed her had a private place to keep her for that long, as well as access to a car and drivers license. This is a perplexing case.

 

[bessie]

I don't believe the killer was trying to induce an abortion. In fact, I don't believe Emily's pregnancy had anything at all to do with her death. The sexual assault and ligature strangulation, hands and feet tied after death, point to one or more sick, sadistic killer(s). One report mentioned the murder was suspected to be gang related, and IMO, that's a fair possibility. Rather than a large, organized gang, I see the murder as the work of a small group of violent criminals, like the East End killers of Houston, 2002. JMO

 

[Ghostwheel]

Have also wondered about the 3 months at a different facility. Was it some sort of transition house? For further help with issues of any kind?

Also wondering about a detail mentioned by Emily's mom and why it might be significant enough to mention on the website with Emily's story.

Emily and her mom met with the Chief Deputy of Juvenile Probation on the day Emily was released - his name is mentioned. They were to meet with him again in two weeks for the formal release of probation, but he was unable to attend and someone else stepped in to complete the process. His/her name is not mentioned.

Emily went missing later that night/early next morning.

Where did they meet - at the facility or some other office? Did the probation officers ever go to this facility to meet with the teens before their release date? Or did the probation officers meet the teens only on the day of release away from the facility?

Did the probation officers ever go to the other detention facility?

Just curious as to why the specifics on this part of the release.

Info is contained in the first paragraph of attachment.

http://theresayeary.tripod.com/id6.html

BBM: I have no idea how I can link this without causing incidental sleuthing of someone else. I have found several people who worked for MAUC in a youth residential program capacity back in 1993. I cannot find any reference to any youth residential program now, so it is possible that there used to be a residential youth program that Emily was part of.

 

[Ghostwheel]

I have to wonder how anyone could really interpret the events.

At this page: http://theresayeary.tripod.com/id11.html
One of the articles states:
"When discovered, the victims hands and feet were bound with 1/2 inch sash chord which was also around her neck, Smith said, meaning that she was apparently bound after her death."

BBM: Her hands and feet could have been bound beforehand, and the cord wrapped around her neck later for transport.

Her age was estimated at time found as anywhere from 18-25 originally. She did not look that old. I think they just guessed she was older because she was pregnant. In the above article, they at least mention that she could have been as young as 15.

The day she went missing was the Friday before President's Day weekend. (with Valentine's day included in that weekend, FWIW)

She could have been left there two days previous:
"It looked like overnight, but it probably had been within 48 hours," Ott said.

That means she might have been left as early as Tuesday morning or as late as 3:00 am Thursday morning. (8 hours prior to having been found at 11:05 Thursday). That particular Monday was Washington's Birthday. Some people get that day off (as well as President's day-just ruminating on that fact).

It was also reported that the area was used by road crews to store brush until later removal. Makes me think that she was left there so she would be found. (Typing and thinking--Did anyone check on the road crew guys?)

It was also reported that she had moved out of her mother's house January 1993. If so, she might have been staying with someone who was not involved for part of the time she was missing . They sure as heck would not step forward after she was murdered for fear of being blamed. This might be why friends claim not to have known her.

Or was she staying with her father or father's family? That would help to know.

Stepping back while I chew on this....

 

[Woodland]

I have to wonder how anyone could really interpret the events.

It was also reported that she had moved out of her mother's house January 1993. If so, she might have been staying with someone who was not involved for part of the time she was missing . They sure as heck would not step forward after she was murdered for fear of being blamed. This might be why friends claim not to have known her.

Or was she staying with her father or father's family? That would help to know.

I'm wondering if the date was meant to be January 1992, meaning her incarceration period.

Emily reportedly spent 9 months + 3 months in two separate facilities = one year with the release date reported as 28 Jan 1993. The article that states '... out of her mother's house January 1993' was written in 1994, one year, or more, after she was found.

If she was living away from her mother since 28 Jan 1993 (assuming release date is correct) then, imo, the probation office would have known where she was in the two weeks prior to her missing and/or where she was going to be living. So would Emily's mom, but there is no mention of this from her side.

 

[MLO]

What a horrible story. It sounds like it was botched from the start.

Not to criticise her family, but, I can't understand not following up. If my daughter were missing I can't imagine not hounding the police daily or at least weekly until I thought they were taking me seriously.

I don't understand disposing of the baby. Considering it would have only been about 2.5 inches, you'd think they would just replace it, same as with the other organs before closing again. I initially thought the cremation was suspicious, but I don't think it would have been so much a cremation as a put into the incinerator with other medical waste. That would explain how they know it was turned to ashes, but can't provide a resting place. I'm not sure if they were just careless (or callous) or deliberately wanted it destroyed.

Gender is hard to determine at 3 months at an ultrasound, but I'd imagine it would be much easier with the fetus right in front of you. Failing that, they may have DNA tested it.

 

[Tugela]

I don't understand disposing of the baby. Considering it would have only been about 2.5 inches, you'd think they would just replace it, same as with the other organs before closing again. I initially thought the cremation was suspicious, but I don't think it would have been so much a cremation as a put into the incinerator with other medical waste. That would explain how they know it was turned to ashes, but can't provide a resting place. I'm not sure if they were just careless (or callous) or deliberately wanted it destroyed.

The reason the fetus was not buried with Emily is because the ME retained it for a year before cremating it (see here). Apparently it was required by law. Probably the cremation happened shortly before Emily was identified.

 

[Tugela]

From this report:

After leaving the mother to go to the planned parenthood office (the last time the mother spoke to her), she called from what sounded like a payphone to say she couldn't see them that day and would spend the night with a friend, then go later.

It is quite possible that she had no intention of getting this pregnancy test and may have had other options in mind.

The assumption is that she was abducted soon after leaving the mother, but that is not necessarily true. It is more accurate to say that the mother didn't know what happened to her after that.

In all probability there was no abduction but rather she was staying with other people. Then something happened and she ended up dead. Some of the early news reports reported the local sheriff as saying ""We think it may be gang related. We have several names to proceed on" here. Why would they think that? If she has spent time in juvenile hall (which is prison for minors) it implies that she had been convicted of some crime, and that means she probably associated with other people of a dubious nature. And these sorts of people are not likely to say anything about it if there was an incident leading to her being murdered, so anyone looking into it would just encounter silence and denials.

So it sort of sounds like she was telling her mother one thing, but was really cutting loose from probation and staying with these dubious individuals. She was pregnant but probably that had nothing to do with her death. Her body was dumped, but no effort was made to conceal it. That says something. I don't think the father, or someone who thought they might be the father, would do it that way - they would attempt to conceal the body if it was them.

Sometimes people get killed randomly be serial killers, but more typically it happens at the hands of people they know. My guess is that the killer is probably someone involved in the circle she associated with when she ended up in juvenile hall. Perhaps a grudge of some sort that was being settled.

 

[rosesfromangels]

@Tugela - your speculation makes sense to me as well, and seems quite probable given the little that we do know.

This case woke me up this morning, and I can't shake the statement that her "friends" seem to have abandoned her when LE was looking for leads. On one hand I can understand this to a small degree remembering they were 15 year olds and most likely scared out of their skin.
On the other hand, they aren't now, and I was just wondering how that must feel knowing what happened (or some of it), and holding on to that knowledge.....

Do they get a sick feeling every time they hear the name Emily? What about when they see a baby? Do they remember a little baby was murdered as well? Does every moment of joy in their lives get cut short by the weight of this knowledge? Do they live with the fear that somehow there will be a karmic payback for their silence? Do they sleep well at night?

I'm just guessing that one of those "friends" from so very long ago might just see this thread, and maybe even this post. If that is the case, I would encourage them to finally do the right thing and free their conscience by telling the family what really happened to Emily, and why.
They can even do it anonymously. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it will give them peace of mind I'm sure they lost many years ago.
Praying for all concerned. God Bless.

 

[killarney rose]

What a horrible story. It sounds like it was botched from the start.

Not to criticise her family, but, I can't understand not following up. If my daughter were missing I can't imagine not hounding the police daily or at least weekly until I thought they were taking me seriously.

I don't understand disposing of the baby. Considering it would have only been about 2.5 inches, you'd think they would just replace it, same as with the other organs before closing again. I initially thought the cremation was suspicious, but I don't think it would have been so much a cremation as a put into the incinerator with other medical waste. That would explain how they know it was turned to ashes, but can't provide a resting place. I'm not sure if they were just careless (or callous) or deliberately wanted it destroyed.

Gender is hard to determine at 3 months at an ultrasound, but I'd imagine it would be much easier with the fetus right in front of you. Failing that, they may have DNA tested it.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[sloane7777]

@tugela - your speculation makes sense to me as well, and seems quite probable given the little that we do know.

This case woke me up this morning, and i can't shake the statement that her "friends" seem to have abandoned her when le was looking for leads. On one hand i can understand this to a small degree remembering they were 15 year olds and most likely scared out of their skin.
On the other hand, they aren't now, and i was just wondering how that must feel knowing what happened (or some of it), and holding on to that knowledge.....

Do they get a sick feeling every time they hear the name emily? What about when they see a baby? Do they remember a little baby was murdered as well? Does every moment of joy in their lives get cut short by the weight of this knowledge? Do they live with the fear that somehow there will be a karmic payback for their silence? Do they sleep well at night?

I'm just guessing that one of those "friends" from so very long ago might just see this thread, and maybe even this post. If that is the case, i would encourage them to finally do the right thing and free their conscience by telling the family what really happened to emily, and why.
They can even do it anonymously. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it will give them peace of mind i'm sure they lost many years ago.
Praying for all concerned. God bless.

really really good post amen !

 

[margarita25]

Sorry if I've missed this, but how do they know she had been held for 13 days? TIA

 

[dotr]

The impression I get is that Emily was followed on the bus, perhaps by someone who overheard her speaking to her mother about her destination, or snatched as she was about to enter the PP building, if perp was inclined to choose females who may be pregnant or seeking birth control.
Maybe he thought such a female may not be searched for immediately..
The ligatures after death, remind me of a case( that I will post as soon as I find it), where a young unidentified woman, with "an angel's face" was dumped in a cemetery and tied up with twine.
As for her friends, well their parents may not want them to get involved in anything so ugly and perhaps dangerous and because they really do not know anything.
For the moment, it seems like a random psycho to me and the pregnancy, a sad coincidence. imo.

This was the case that came to mind for whatever reason, I realize it is quite a distance away.
MD MD -Woodlawn- WhtFem 279UFMD, 15-25, Near Lorraine Park Cemetery- "JP" Tattoo, Sep'76 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community

 

[Iluminada]

My first thought, like others here, was what kind of friends did Emily really have? Emily goes missing and everyone clams up or disappears. Start from the inner circle and make your way out. You have a meeting set up between the parents and their teen children to talk about the pregnancy and if the boy is going to take responsibility for his child and the boy and his mother don't show up. Red flag. Police need to speak to him immediately. Was this boy a friend of Dona's, the house Emily was going to sleep at? Red flag that Dona went underground. Police need to speak to her also. Round them up and interview them. I know that Emily used the phone booth. Was there any way to trace phone calls from there? How about at Dona's house? Did the Police check her phone records to see if Emily used her phone? Emily had no cell phone so it was either pay phones or other people's phones. Was there a record of Emily the following day somewhere? Who did Dona live with? Any chance of finding them to see where Dona moved?

This is such a sad story, Emily was an "at risk" teen and if anyone was in danger of being assaulted or murdered, it was her. Law enforcement should double there efforts for these children instead of thinking that she probably ran away. There is nothing I've read that shows Emily wanted to run away. Was her Mother against abortions and was Emily being forced to have this baby? I don't believe so. The Mother seemed okay with it and went to medicaid (?) to help Emily get prenatal care.

If the teen boy, supposedly the father-to-be, believed he wasn't the father, wouldn't he ask do a DNA test to see if it was his baby? Everyone's watched a Jerry Springer show and knows how that works. He must have believed he could be the father. Oh boy, what kind of responsibilities did he have ahead of him, and this young girl Emily was in and out of detention. What did he get himself into. A mess. Did Emily have any visitors at the detention center other than her Mother?

I also wish that Emily could have been left at peace with her baby inside of her. There was no reason to cremate the baby's remains. Stupid, insensitive people.

Round up the original, usual suspects and get them talking. Maybe we can help look for them? Can we get Dona's last name and the name of the teen boy?

 

[WillenFan21]

I have a question; how did Emily know she was pregnant with a boy? She was only 3 months and had not seen a dr yet. Or did I misunderstand and the gender was not discovered until after their death?

Regardless, this case is stinky. And hinky.

I was wondering the same thing. I thought it wasn't until 4 to 5 months that you could determine the sex of the baby? 3 months seems way to early to me. Would the fetus even be that developed yet?

 

[December]

I was wondering the same thing. I thought it wasn't until 4 to 5 months that you could determine the sex of the baby? 3 months seems way to early to me. Would the fetus even be that developed yet?

Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - FEATURED TX - Emily Garcia - murdered at 15, three months pregnant, Canyon Lake, 1993

^^that post has a link with detailed information on fetal development.

iwondered the same thing so i looked it up.

3 months is just barely enough time to be able to tell. how Emily knew, this is speculated on in that post.

 

[December]

December, I think I understand what u'r saying. Emily wasn't even fed the entire time she was held. I beLIEve whoever took her had zero intention of releasing her, which makes me think she knew whoever it was. You may be on to something December, when referring to someone wanting to make her miscarry but I don't think a stranger would go at her with a coathanger. Jmo. The father could have hired someone to do his dirty work also. I know she had to confide in someone who the father was, it's hard for a teenager to keep quiet about that. I just wish someone would think of Sheila, and help her. Someone knows something.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

omg... never meant to indicate a coat hanger....

ETA
I think I said in my post also a surgical procedure. But, thinking about that.. I believe such a thing would show on the autopsy and there would be no baby inside her any more if that was the case. So, I was just wrong about that. But, I meant a real surgical procedure rather than some makeshift at home weirdness. However, I don't think that fits at all so, nevermind that idea.

there are other less intrusive methods like not feeding, giving alcohol, things like this (it is too horrible... but these things might not show on an autopsy unlike gouging around with some random instrument).

if a stranger had her, then a stranger wouldn't be trying to make her miscarry. but, she might anyway due to the abuse or not being fed or whatever else was happening.

then there are girls/women who miscarry when they are at home and taking good care of themselves. so, this possibility has to be considered...

i was told by a lady who miscarried that she was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late and she had to have a d and c (this was in the seventies) right that second to remove everything (putting it delicately). she did not want an abortion, but she had to have one as the baby was lost. if Emily miscarried with no medical attention.. i don't know what would happen.

 

[Redux]

http://www.ehd.org/science_main.php

fetal development timeline.

three months (approx.) is when you can first even begin to tell if the baby will be a boy or girl.

soooooo.... there are ONLY two ways the gender of Emily's baby could be known...

1. noted by doctor on autopsy and just interwoven into the tale of what happened to Emily over the years. it's possible though she had a feeling it would be a boy and her mom is using 'knew' in that way since that feeling turned out to be right.

2. Emily had already seen a doctor VERY RECENTLY and had a thorough exam. but that doctor didn't give her an official documentation as required by medicaid and she couldn't go back and get it from that doctor. the doctor did, however, tell her that she was pregnant and it was a boy. this one is more unlikely than one. but, this might be a case of someone else took her and paid and received the paperwork. and she did not ever mention this doctor to her mother. she just said she 'knew' she was pregnant and it was a boy. her mom, if skeptical, could have gotten an over the counter pregnancy test and found out quickly enough that Emily was pregnant.

Good point on #1! That seems like a plausible scenario.

On #2, I'm not sure any doctors 20 years were diagnosing a baby's sex at the 3-month mark....maybe at 5 months, but I don't think 3. (I do have a bad memory, so someone correct me if I'm wrong!).

 

[December]

I don't believe the killer was trying to induce an abortion. In fact, I don't believe Emily's pregnancy had anything at all to do with her death. The sexual assault and ligature strangulation, hands and feet tied after death, point to one or more sick, sadistic killer(s). One report mentioned the murder was suspected to be gang related, and IMO, that's a fair possibility. Rather than a large, organized gang, I see the murder as the work of a small group of violent criminals, like the East End killers of Houston, 2002. JMO

If a stranger had her as you describe, that stranger might not have even known Emily was pregnant.

I'm just saying maybe she miscarried or was in the process of miscarrying due to the abuse inflicted upon her such as not being fed and being abused in every way.

I am really confused on the timeline for this one as I am sick right now.. I was thinking the window of Emily being seen/going missing was way shorter than it is. So, it is possible it is a stranger abduction/murder and the fact she was 3 months pregnant was no more important to the murderer than her shoe size. Which is really sad because it would have been important to Emily and she would have felt so bad that her baby also was dying.

The only reason I am getting hung up a little bit on stranger abduction/who knows what happened is why did all of her friends scram out of town? Maybe this was a gang thing and not a stranger per se (but no one involved with Emily being pregnant.. or at least not caring one way or another). If all of the kids knew something like that then maybe I could see them all leaving.

I have some experience with two different murder cases that were extremely brutal (neither victim was pregnant). The victims are NOT forgotten by friends. So, I do not even understand what in the world is going on with Emily's case... that is some weird stuff right there. O.k., they don't want to talk to the family.. but why move? One person I could see it would be coincidental, but it sounds like it's more than that.