NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The man wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in January 2018 has been taken into custody.

The year-and-a-half-long manhunt for Salvador Vaca Garcia Jr. ended this week when he was arrested in Mexico, according to Colusa Police Department Police Chief Joshua Fitch.

Colusa resident Karen Garcia was reported by her family as missing on Jan. 9, 2018, just two days after her sister and four others were killed in a crash on Interstate 5 in Yolo County. Authorities said the initial report was taken by the Williams Police Department.

Karen Garcia and her vehicle were last seen in Colusa on Jan. 8, 2018, at approximately noon.
Fitch said Karen Garcia and her vehicle were subsequently entered into the missing person’s database as the investigation continued.

A joint investigation was initiated with the Colusa Police Department, Williams Police Department, Colusa County District Attorney’s Office and the Colusa County Sheriff’s Office. Fitch said that during the investigation a search warrant was served at Karen Garcia’s residence located on the 400 block of Oak Street in Colusa.

Fitch said evidence found during the search warrant revealed a homicide.

On Jan. 14, 2018, at approximately 3:45 p.m. investigators received information that Karen Garcia’s vehicle was located in a parking lot in Woodland. Her vehicle and body were recovered at the scene, Fitch said.

Salvador Garcia, Karen Garcia’s ex-boyfriend, was identified as a suspect in the homicide and a warrant was issued for his arrest, Fitch said.

Fitch said Salvador Garcia disappeared and the U.S. Marshals Service reached out to local law enforcement to provide their services. Since this time, the U.S. Marshals Service has been working diligently to locate him.

Several agencies including local law enforcement as well as the Riverside Police Department, Sacramento County District Attorney Office, government of Mexico Fiscalia General de Jalisco-Grupo De Ordenes y Apprensiones and the Instituto Nacional de Migracion have assisted the Marshals with the investigation.

As a result of that work, Fitch said Salvador Garcia was located in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and taken into custody.

On Sunday, the U.S. Marshals Service turned their custody of Salvador Garcia Jr. over to members of the Colusa County Task Force to be booked into the Colusa County Jail, Fitch reported.

“The law enforcement agencies of Colusa County would like to give thanks to the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance as well as to all who helped throughout this over a yearlong investigation,” Fitch said.