Santa Clara, California County Sheriff’s have arrested 21-year-old Antolin Garcia-Torres for the murder and kidnapping of 15-year-old Sierra Lamar, though no body has been found.
At a news conference today, Sheriff Laurie Smith said authorities believe the youngster is dead. In spite of this Sierra’s mother holds out hope that her daughter maybe alive. “We continue to pray until she is found,” LaMar said to Mercury News, “Our search is not going to end. As a mother I’m hopeful. Her body has not been found and that gives me hope.”
Garcia is being linked to the missing teen through DNA, police are saying. Specifically Garcia-Torres’s DNA was found inside a backpack that belong to LaMar.
LaMar went missing on March 16 on her way to her school bus stop. The day after, police found her purse and cellphone near a road by her house. Inside her backpack purse clothing items were found and it was on those items that Garcia-Torres’ DNA was found.
The suspect’s car was taken into police custody earlier this month because it was identified as being near where the young girl went missing. Authorities did not identify Garcia-Torres as the owner of the vehicle until now.
Garcia-Torres is believed to work at the local Safeway and is married with a 1 ½ year-old daughter and another child on the way.
Since 2011 in Santa Clara county there have been 43 missing females that have never returned home and now authorities are wondering if Garcia-Torres had anything to do with them.
