Erica Garcia, 14, was found dead on June 7, 1997, outside the old Alief General Hospital in southwest Houston. She had been beaten and raped. Recently, Crime Stoppers of Houston and the Houston Police Department spoke with Garcia’s family, asking the public for help in finding her killer, according to Click2Houston.
Margarita Garcia, Erica's mother, discussed the family's ongoing search for answers in the case. She said, "For nearly three decades, our family has lived with the unbearable pain, unanswered questions, and the weight of knowing someone out there knows something and who did it," and added, "We are asking from the deepest part of our hearts for anyone who knows anything, and the smallest information to come forward." Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $5,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest, as reported by Click2Houston.
A few years ago, KHOU revisited the case of Erica Garcia, a teen nicknamed "Tweety" who had recently joined her school's cheerleading squad, and reported on her family's ongoing search for justice. Erica was last seen by her aunt being dropped off at a teen club called New Dimension. Detective Ramon Cervantes said, "I do believe that it may have been more than one or two males to have been able to overpower her and get her to that abandoned building," suggesting multiple perpetrators. The case has drawn renewed attention to her final night, while her family continues to honor her memory and seek justice.
