CA CA - Barbara, 8, Carman Burhans, 40, & Diego Garcia, 28, Los Angeles, 15 Mar 1982

[Gardener1850]

Barbara Burhans
Los Angeles County, California
8 year old white female

Black Hair
Brown Eyes

Clothing: Violet jumpsuit

Barbara was last seen on March 15, 1982.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/4529/

Carman Maria Burhans
Los Angeles County, California
40 year old white hispanic/latino female

Height (inches)

Weight (pounds)

[TD="class: view_field"]66.0[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]210.0[/TD]

Black Hair
Brown Eyes

Carmen was last seen with her family in Los Angeles, California on March 15, 1982. The family left their home in their car during the day and have never been heard from again.
The family's car was discovered at the bottom of a gorge in the San Gabriel Mountains on April 27, 1982, more than one month after they disappeared.

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/5744/

Diego Garcia
Los Angeles County, California
28 year old white hispanic/latino male

Height (inches)

Weight (pounds)

[TD="class: view_field"]64.0[/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"]150.0[/TD]

Black Hair
Brown Eyes

Garcia was last seen with his wife, Carmen Garcia, and their daughter, Barbara Burhans, in Los Angeles, California on March 15, 1982. The family departed from their residence in their vehicle during the day and have never been heard from again.
The family's car was discovered at the bottom of a gorge in the San Gabriel Mountains on April 27, 1982, more than one month after they disappeared. (ncic: M-648439602)

[TD="class: view_field"][/TD]

[TD="class: view_field"][/TD]

https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/4530/

 

[Gardener1850]

Details of Disappearance

Barbara was last seen with her parents, Carmen Burhans Garcia and Diego Garcia, in Los Angeles, California on March 15, 1982. They lived in a house on Division Street in the Glassell Park area, and Carmen's mother lived upstairs.

That morning, Carmen's mother went downstairs and visited the family at breakfast. Carmen was crying, but her mother didn't ask her why. At about noon, Carmen, Diego and Barbara drove away in their brown 1977 Toyota Corolla. Carmen's mother never saw them again. They took nothing with them; they left behind luggage, clothes in the closets, dog food in the refrigerator, and the dog itself.

On April 25, the family's car was found abandoned in a snowbank 500 feet down a gorge in the San Gabriel Mountains, off Route 2 near Big Pines, California. It was buried in five feet of snow and the top was crushed in. There was no blood inside the car and no evidence of foul play.

That particular road had been closed since March 16, the day after the Garcia/Burhans family vanished. Police theorized the vehicle was either pushed down the mountain by someone trying to conceal it, or accidentally bumped off the roadside by a snowplow whose driver didn't notice it parked there.

Diego is Carmen's second husband and Barbara's stepfather. There were rumors that Carmen, who had recently converted to Mormonism, was involved in a cult-type religion involving candles and live chicken sacrifice at the time of her disappearance, but this wasn't confirmed.

Another theory was that Diego had gotten involved in a drug and/or gambling scheme and he and Carmen took Barbara and fled to the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, Florida; this too could not be substantiated.

Although there were reported sightings of Carmen after her disappearance, none were confirmed, and there were no sightings of Diego or Barbara. There has been no evidence of any of their whereabouts since March 1982.

http://charleyproject.org/case/barbara-aurora-burhans

 

[CastlesBurning]

Thanks for sharing - I had never heard of this one til now.

They are still missing.

Diego Garcia

 

[Sleuth91]

Bumping this thread.

 

[wary]

Does anyone have a theory as to what happened? The lack of any packing could mean a day trip to the mountains, or a desperate attempted escape from trouble.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Bumping.
No theory (beyond it sounds like they quickly went on the run), but I really feel for them and for Carmen's mother and other relatives left behind.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Bumping case up for 2022.

 

[HmmMysterious]

Bumping. Barbara has been ruled out as the Broward County Jane Doe 1983, 428UFFL, according to Doe Network.

 

[Pennysmom1]

578DFCA - Barbara Burhans

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Barbara Aurora Burhans – The Charley Project

Carmen Maria Burhans Garcia – The Charley Project

Diego Garcia – The Charley Project

 

[spartanx]

I have the impression that it was a settling of scores but the wife and daughter didn't know... I think it was ambushed, they were taken out of the car, the bodies were quickly murdered in some river, burned, mutilated, crushed, etc., and the car was covered up to erase evidence, but Not being a known enemy, he had no fear if the car was found or not.... here what we feel is that the wife and daughter paid the fair price for the innocent... I think they will never be found...
either way
rest in peace family

 

[maamager]

bumping!
the charley project link suggests someone tried to conceal the car by pushing it off the mountain range. also, the family took nothing but witnesses report seeing them in the area near their car.