WEST CHESTER, OH — Police are searching a West Chester property as part of a renewed effort to find Rigoberto Jose Garcia, who has been missing since 2018. Detectives from West Chester, Fairfield Township and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation have spent multiple days on Gregory Creek Lane using heavy machinery and K-9 units.
Officials say the operation grew out of a tip that arrived on Oct. 27 and pointed investigators to the area. Fairfield Township police say the search is tied to Garcia’s disappearance and includes a search for possible evidence of a crime and human remains.
Garcia was 37 when he vanished, and police say his case went without answers for years before this latest development.
What investigators say happened in 2018
Police say Garcia was last heard from on Jan. 12, 2018, and was reported missing by family members two days later on Jan. 14. His car was found in Fairfield about a week after he was first reported missing.
According to the original missing-person narrative, Garcia owned Garcia Lawn Care and left for work the morning he disappeared. His wife, Sara, told police she believed he was heading to an unknown job site to take down Christmas lights.
She also said she spoke with him around 1:20 p.m. that day, when he said he was eating lunch and would see her later that evening. He never made it home.
A tip sent detectives back to Gregory Creek Lane
Fairfield Township police say the recent search began after they received a phone call on Oct. 27 from someone claiming to have information on Garcia’s whereabouts. That call led to a search warrant in the West Chester area.
Chief Bob Chabali said investigators do not know whether the caller is connected to Garcia, a person of interest or anyone else involved in the case. He said the tip was later backed up by other information that pointed police toward the property.
Chabali said investigators feel confident enough in the information to keep searching, though no body has been found so far. Police have not said when the operation will end.
Heavy machinery, K-nine teams and a slow search
The property search has involved more than one law enforcement agency and has stretched over several days. Officials say crews are moving carefully because they do not want to disturb any possible evidence.
Chabali described the site as a large yard, roughly football-field sized and about 100 yards long, with several sheds on it. Because of the size of the area and the need to preserve anything investigators might find, the work has taken time.
No evidence has been recovered publicly so far. Police say they will continue until they either find Garcia’s remains or determine there is nothing more to pursue at the property.
Police say a person of interest has been identified
Investigators say they have identified a person of interest, though they are not releasing that person’s name. Chabali said police are waiting to connect that person to evidence before making an arrest.
He also said investigators have an idea where the person of interest is located. Police have not explained the suspected role that person may have played in Garcia’s disappearance.
Chabali said police believe the victim may be on the property, but added that Garcia is still officially listed as a missing person until remains are recovered and examined.
Property owner connection and no danger to neighbors
Police say the property under search is one of two owned by Lawana Kay Tzeiranakis, who died eight days ago in a car crash. Chief Chabali said the crash is not connected to the missing-person investigation.
Investigators also confirmed there is a relationship between Tzeiranakis and the person of interest, but they would not describe that connection. Chabali said the tip came in after her death and rejected the idea that she left a final confession.
Police say there is no known threat to the surrounding community. They also said a person currently living in the home is cooperating with investigators as the search continues.
Family hopes for closure as police ask for more tips
Chabali said Garcia’s family knows about the search and is hoping it will finally answer what happened to him. He said the family wants closure after years without answers.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about Garcia’s disappearance, suspicious activity around the properties, or events from early 2018 to contact Fairfield Township police at 513-785-4173. Tips can also be shared with CrimeStoppers at 513-352-3040.
Police have not publicly said how Garcia may have died. They say that question cannot be answered until a body is recovered and the coroner’s office can examine it for signs of violence.
