2015-04-05 Garcia

Death of Andrew Michael Garcia

Andrew Michael Garcia, 26, of Amarillo, Texas, went missing on April 4, 2015. His remains were discovered more than a year later in rural Randall County. Three men were subsequently indicted on charges^[1] related to his death.

Disappearance

Garcia was last seen on April 4, 2015, in the 2100-block of North Marrs Street in Amarillo, according to the Amarillo Police Department's Special Crimes Unit. Several witnesses told police that Garcia might be in danger, prompting the case to be transferred to the Special Crimes Unit.

Garcia was described as 5-foot-11-inches, 175 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair. He had multiple tattoos.

Discovery of Remains

On Tuesday, May 31, 2016, human remains were found on Rockwell Road near the railroad crossing of I-27 in rural Randall County, south of Amarillo. The Special Crimes Unit of the Amarillo Police Department said the remains were being sent to the University of North Texas for identification, and a cause of death would also be determined.^[2]

Police said the remains were likely those of Garcia, though they could not yet confirm the cause of death.^[3]

"We can't say what the cause of death was," said Lt. Erick Bohannon with the Amarillo Police Department's Special Crimes Unit. "Absent that, we can't say that somebody murdered Andrew. But, because of the fact that he died and his skeletal remains were found in Randall County, yes, we're going to work it as a homicide."

Indictments

On August 18, 2016, three people were indicted on various charges in relation to Garcia's death:

Robert Clay Hathcoat, 22, and Brett Thomas Hughes, 22, were both indicted on charges of:

• Aggravated Kidnapping
• Sexual Abuse
• Tampering with Evidence

Clifton Deshaun Baker, 31, was indicted on charges of:

• Tampering with Evidence

Charges Details

Court documents described the Aggravated Kidnapping and Sexual Abuse charges as intentionally or knowingly abducting Garcia by moving him from one place to another with the intent to prevent his liberation and secreting or holding him in a place where he was not likely to be found. These offenses allegedly took place on or about April 5, 2015.

The Tampering with Evidence charges against all three men were described as "knowing that an offense had been committed, namely, aggravated kidnapping, did alter, destroy or conceal...the body of Andrew Michael Garcia, by removing his body from the scene of the offense, with intent to impair its verity, legibility or availability as evidence in any subsequent investigation or official proceeding related to the offense."

Investigation Status

At the time of the indictments, no one had been charged with murder because the cause of death could not be determined. However, police continued to work the case as a homicide.