WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, OH — Police are digging in the backyard of a West Chester Township home after a new tip revived the search for Rigoberto Jose Garcia, who has been missing for nearly nine years.

Investigators served a search warrant at the property Tuesday evening and brought in heavy equipment to begin excavating the yard. Garcia disappeared in January 2018, when he was 37 years old, and police have not publicly said what happened to him. Fairfield Township police Chief Bob Chabali said officers believe the body may be on the property, though nothing has been recovered so far.

Garcia was last seen in Maineville, and his pickup truck was found in Fairfield Township about a week later. The case had been cold for years before the latest information pushed it back into active investigation.

A tip and interview led police back to the property

Chabali said the renewed search began with a tipster who contacted police on Tuesday. That information, along with what investigators learned from another person they interviewed, led them to focus on the West Chester Township home.

According to police, the home’s recent connection to a fatal car crash also appears to have played a role in the breakthrough. The resident, 72-year-old Lawana Tzeiranakis, died in the crash about nine days ago, and investigators say her death helped trigger the tip they received.

Police have said Garcia, the tipsters, Tzeiranakis, and a person of interest in the case all knew each other. That link is central to why investigators now believe the backyard may hold important evidence.

Heavy equipment and a slow excavation have turned up nothing yet

Police have been working carefully through a large backyard and wooded area, and Chabali said the search has been slow because investigators do not want to damage anything that could matter later in the case.

As of Thursday, officers had not found any bodies or other clear evidence linked to Garcia’s disappearance. The chief said the size of the property has made the work difficult and that the search could take time.

Chabali said investigators are trying to be methodical while they dig. He said the team is still working through the area and may continue on Friday if needed.

Family members are hoping for closure after years of uncertainty

Police say Garcia’s family welcomed the new development and are hoping the search finally answers what happened to him. Chabali described their reaction as ecstatic, saying they want closure after years without knowing where he is or what became of him.

Garcia has remained a missing person since January 2018 because his body has not been found. Police say he will stay classified that way until they recover remains or otherwise determine what happened.

For the family, the renewed effort marks the first major movement in the case in years. Investigators say the fresh tip changed the pace of a search that had long appeared stalled.

Neighbors describe a quiet street stunned by the police presence

The excavation has drawn attention in the usually quiet West Chester Township neighborhood, where residents say the police activity has been hard to process. Next-door neighbor Aiman Darwich said he could not understand why investigators would focus on the home.

Darwich said he has lived in the area for 20 years and described the people who lived there as quiet. He said nothing about the property suggested a case like this might be unfolding there.

The heavy equipment, officers, and ongoing digging have unsettled the block, even as police say there is no danger to the public. Neighbors now face the possibility that the search will continue for days or longer.

Police say the case stays open until they find remains or exhaust the search

Chabali said the department will keep searching until officers either find a body or determine there is nothing else they can do at the property. He said the investigation remains active and that police likely will return to the site Friday.

Police say there is a person of interest in the case, but they have not publicly identified that person or described any charges. At this point, investigators are not warning of any danger to the public.

If remains are recovered, the coroner would still need to determine a cause of death before authorities could classify the case as a homicide. For now, police are treating Garcia as a missing person while they continue the excavation.