GUILTY CA - Serenity Gandara, 3, beaten to death in Bakersfield foster home, 18 Jul 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 18, 2010
(Editor's note: This incident is just short of an Amber Alert, police say; they believe the children mentioned below may be at risk)

The Bakersfield Police Department is currently searching for two adults and three children connected to a suspicious death.
On 7/18/10, at 9:00 a.m., officers responded to a report of a deceased child at a residence in the 5900 block of Summer Country Drive. Officers met with a female relative of the residents there who are identified as:

• Alberto Garcia, Hispanic male, 26 years old, 6’0” tall, 210 pounds, dark shaved hair,
having a tattoo of a girl on his left arm and “Maria Garcia” on his chest and,

• Carla Mariela Garcia aka Torres, Hispanic female, 26 years old, having black hair and
brown eyes.

Upon arrival, officers located a deceased 3 year old inside the residence as well as a 4 year old who was sleeping.
At this time, police are searching for Alberto Garcia and Carla Garcia who are wanted for felony child endangerment and questioning in the death of the 3 year old.
Police also need to check the welfare of three additional children believed to be with Alberto Garcia and Carla Garcia.



Those children are identified as:
Carlos Joe Solvalvarro, male 10 years old.
Crystal Garcia, female 5 years old.
Alberto Garcia Jr. male 4 years old.

The family vehicle is a White 1997 Ford Expedition California License 5FLC681 with a Gold Eddie Bauer package and 17 inch rims.

Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is urged to call the Bakersfield Police Department at 661-327-7111.

(Depicted in the attached photos are Alberto and Carla Garcia and Carlos Solvalvarro and Crystal Garcia)

Foster Child Found Dead, Family Sought

Toddler Found Dead After Sister Called Police

- A three-year-old girl was found dead in her southwest home Sunday morning and now police are looking for her foster parents, who also happen to be her aunt and uncle.The girl's foster family was nowhere to be found when police arrived. According to police no one in the home called called 911. Instead, the girl's foster mom called her sister to say the girl was dead and then fled.Police received the call around 9 a.m. and when they showed up to the home on Summer Country Drive, the front door was open and the little girl was dead inside the home.
"We arrived here just shortly after the sister arrived and upon arrival they confirmed that the child was deceased," said Sgt. David Chase of the Bakersfield Police Department.Police say Carla Torres Garcia, 26, her three biological children ranging from age 4-10 and her husband Alberto Garcia, 26, fled from the home in a 1997 Ford Expedition with California license plate #5FLC681. The vehicle is a Gold Eddie Bauer Edition make with 17-inch rims."They took their three children that she gave birth to and left the two foster children," Chase said. "One of them deceased, the other one was in bed asleep."According to a neighbor and police, the two foster kids are Garcia's niece and nephew, and they were in process of legally adopting the children."To my knowledge, that's how they got the kids, is the fact that the mother was somewhat of a user," said neighbor GR. "They seemed like good, hard working people who took care of their kids. Whenever I would see their kids, they would always be well fed, well dressed and taken care of."The little girl's body did show signs of trauma to her head and torso, but the cause of death remains under investigation.

(snip)
http://www.turnto23.com/news/24303426/detail.html

Oh so sad -- I'm about an hour away from Bakersfield. Nice town, but some bad areas and lots of gangs. We were thinking of moving there, but decided on another town instead. It is so hot this weekend (especially there) and I wonder if the heat had anything to do with this. I can't imagine where the remaining family members would go but south to the Border (about 5 hours away). Nothing up north really. Of course they could be hanging in LA, where they would fit in nicely. I hope LE is finding out the names and locations of all relatives.

Bless the little one...

Mel

From your link, Darlin Gal

http://www.turnto23.com/news/24303426/detail.html

Police have also issued an Amber Alert for the three children believed to be with the couple as the welfare of the children is unknown. The children are Carlos Joe Solvalvarro, 10, Crystal Garcia, 4, and Alberto Garcia Jr., 4.

It sounds like the girl died from physical abuse. The other boy was left behind as well.

They fled with their own children.

I hope both are caught and charged with murder, because you wouldn't run if you were not involved, and their children taken.

Not only did they likely/allegedly/whatever kill a 3 year old, they left a 4 year old alone because he wasn't theirs?!?!?!??!?

:furious: :furious: :furious:

May the other 3 children be found safe. Quickly.

Some foster parents.... RIP little one, I bet they took off for mexico

idk, would this aunt leave her niece deceased and nephew alone willingly? She was planning on adopting them and these were her sister's children...there may be more to this story.

Possibly there is more to the story but she called her sister to say the child was dead. I am skeptical and so sick of these people that hurt children. If she wasn't involved she should not have fled. And they left the boy behind that was not theirs. That says it all to me.

RubyRed said:

Possibly there is more to the story but she called her sister to say the child was dead. I am skeptical and so sick of these people that hurt children. If she wasn't involved she should not have fled. And they left the boy behind that was not theirs. That says it all to me.

Click to expand...

What if the husband played a more prominent role though? Doubtful, but possible. Could the wife and children have been taken against their will?

fhc said:

What if the husband played a more prominent role though? Doubtful, but possible. Could the wife and children have been taken against their will?

Click to expand...

I hear what you are saying fhc, and I value your opinion. If she is being held against her will, then that is different. Just sometimes it seems like the same song over and over.

Is there seriously nothing new on this situation? Wow. I can't find anything... No AMBER Alert has been issued (officially, anyway). No recent news articles. What is going on?!?

Police says they ar ein Mexico and police is also trying to get them back in US.
They will most likely to do it.
Waiting on autopsy report also...
Very sad. I am very shaken off.
They were our renters and she was our housekeeper for more than a year.
We trusted them with all our belongings and pets. They had keys and codes.

But they semed to be very very nice people. Carla is a witty woman and love dhe rchildren worked hard while Albert took care of children at home.
They also worked very very hard to adopt the children who were their niece and nephew from Albert's sister.

We are assuming an accident happened somehow. Maybe the eldest child has a tantrum and they spooked and tried to protect the child and did not want to part with them, so they fled to Mexico.

Carla called her sister to let osmeone know that the other boy was at home alone. That shows me that she cared for his welfare... That's how the cops found out the whole scene. Otherwise it wouldn't have been unravel as fats as it did yesterday...

Family flees to Mexico, leaves boy with body of dead sister, police say

Bakersfield police Monday were searching for a family suspected of fleeing to Mexico after leaving a 4-year-old boy in their home with the body of his dead 3-year-old sister.
Officers arrived at the home Sunday after receiving a report of a dead child and discovered the boy sleeping in the residence and the body of the 3-year-old, the Bakersfield Police Department said. The girl's body showed signs of trauma, police said.
Police said the children had been under the custody of their uncle, Alberto Garcia, and his wife, Carla Mariela Garcia, both 26. The Garcias had left the home with their three biological children, ages 4 through 10.
The family is believed to have left for Mexico, according to Sgt. Mary DeGeare, who said detectives were working with prosecutors and the FBI to apprehend the Garcias. The couple is wanted for alleged felony child endangerment and questioning in the death of the 3-year-old, DeGeare said.
The family vehicle is described as a white Ford Eddie Bauer Expedition, license plate number 5FLC681, with 17-inch rims. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (661) 327-7111.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/07/bakersfield-family-leaves-boy-with-dead-sister.html

I am curious where they called her sister from if it's possible they made it to Mexico. Wouldn't that be the first thing LE would do is to alert all authorities along the interstate heading down there? Or did they have a head-start of several hours before the sister arrived at the house and called 911? :waitasec:

Just found another article which answers my previous question ~

"Officers found the adoptees after Carla Garcia called her sister Sunday morning and told her to go to the house, said Bakersfield Police Sgt. Mary DeGeare, adding that investigators believe the family already was in Mexico, near the California border, at the time."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hHPVWKQOlBpKY2PK81JXDsUq2FIQD9H2DI102

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/07/19/california.wanted.family/index.html?hpt=T1

Police in southern California are on the hunt for a missing family of five they believe are connected to the suspicious death of a child found Sunday in their home, an officer told CNN Monday.

Police want to question Alberto Garcia, 26, and Carla Garcia, 26, about the child's death and check on the well-being of three children believed to be accompanying them, the release said. The children were identified as Carlos Joe Solvalvarro, 10, Crystal Garcia, 5, and Alberto Garcia Jr. 4. The adults are wanted for felony child endangerment.

panthera said:

I am curious where they called her sister from if it's possible they made it to Mexico. Wouldn't that be the first thing LE would do is to alert all authorities along the interstate heading down there? Or did they have a head-start of several hours before the sister arrived at the house and called 911? :waitasec:

Click to expand...

I read that the police arrived at the house right after the sister arrived.
I bet they were in or almost in Mexico when they called her.
If they were so cruel why would they call the sister?
I think this case does not have pure cruelty.
Something must have done absolutely wrong somehow... and they still cared for the little boy they left behind. I don't think anybody ever meant the death of the little girl...
Is still hope that they get them back and bring out the truth...

Welcome to Websleuths Nymphet.

Police just released a new detail in the case of the dead 3-year-old girl and her 4-year-old brother, who was left behind Sunday when Alberto and Carla Garcia fled their southwest Bakersfield home with three other children.

Investigators have confirmed the boy and girl had "scars and marks in various stages of healing, including recent injuries," said Bakersfield Police Sgt. Mary DeGeare..

The Garcias were reportedly in the process of adopting the children, who were Alberto's niece and nephew, though we don't yet know whether the adoption has been finalized.

The autopsy has been completed, and the cause and manner of death are pending further tests, a coroner's spokesman reported.

The 3-year-old deceased child was idenified as Serenity Julia Gandara.

http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/BreakingNewsTeam/59143