Four People Charged with kidnapping Tiairra Garcia
PASCO -- Franklin County prosecutors are still calling the investigation into Tiairra Garcia a missing person's case, but frightening new details make it very clear a local woman will never be found alive.
Four people are now charged with kidnapping 19-year-old Tiairra Garcia.
"My office filed charges for kidnapping in the first degree against four individuals," Franklin County Prosecutor Steve Lowe said.
The accused include Tiairra's boyfriend Marnicus Lockhard, and friends Ashone Hollinquest, Andrea Parr and Verla Spencer.
"To justify the charges, the fact was that she was picked up and last seen alive with Marincus Lockhard and Ashone Hollinquest," Lowe said.
Prosecutors laid out a timeline of what they suspect happened in court papers.
Tiarra was seen alive on June 22nd at Joey's restaurant in Pasco. She was with Lockhard and Hollinquest and never came home that night.
Two days later, Garcia's mom told police she heard a rumor Lockhard killed her daughter and used a van with a lift to move her.
Now, investigators believe the rumor may have been the truth. Less than an hour after leaving Joey's, Police said Tiairra was inside a van that was part of a hit and run.
That van was owned by Parr.
After the collision, cops suspect the men drove the banged-up van to Verla Spencer's house that night. Court papers report two men possibly pulled a body from the van and brought it into Spencer's house.
When questioned by police, Spencer told them there was no body and no van.
"We know some people told us some information and the leads are in the hundreds, I would say," Lowe said.
The next day, police think the two men ditched the damaged van, got another van, and drove it to Ronald Kinsey's house. Prosecutors could not tell Action News what the relationship was between Lockhard and Hollinquest and Kinsey.
Ultimately, police said the men abandoned that second van at Kinsey's. Inside, police found blood-stained items and duct tape. Police report, DNA on those items matched Tiairra's.
Police were able to track down who purchased the duct tape. Surveillance video from inside Walmart show Spencer bought the tape the day of Tiairra's disappearance. Police said Spencer and Hollinquest drove to Walmart together after Hollinquest's asked her to buy it.
This is also where Parr comes back into play.
Parr told Pasco police she didn't know anything about the van until the 23rd, the day after Tiairra went missing. She told Police she let Lockhard and Hollinquest borrow it for the night.
When the pair met up with Parr on the 23rd, they told her about the collision and to report it stolen. According to court papers, Parr agreed. She reported her van stolen to the Pasco Police Department.
Then the report states, Parr rented a car for the men to leave town.
"If she's alive we'd like to find her and if not we'd like certainly like to put the family's concerns at rest and find the remains to have a proper closure to this particular case," Lowe said.
Court papers said the men told Tiairra's mom her daughter was dead, but that it was an accident, and Hollinquest was to blame.
All four were found outside of Washington State. Lockhard was arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin while Parr and Hollinquest were arrested in Chandler, Arizona. It's unclear where Spencer was arrested.
Parr's van was ultimately found abandoned on July 2, 2008, outside of Chicago, Illinois. Police said the van had a rag stuffed in the gas tank and it appeared someone had tried to light in on fire.
All four are either in jail or headed back here.
Benton County also has a warrant out for Lockhard.
Investigators admit they also are looking for more people who may be involved. They're still looking for a body and hope you'll report it if you see anything.
Four people are now charged with kidnapping 19-year-old Tiairra Garcia.
"My office filed charges for kidnapping in the first degree against four individuals," Franklin County Prosecutor Steve Lowe said.
The accused include Tiairra's boyfriend Marnicus Lockhard, and friends Ashone Hollinquest, Andrea Parr and Verla Spencer.
"To justify the charges, the fact was that she was picked up and last seen alive with Marincus Lockhard and Ashone Hollinquest," Lowe said.
Prosecutors laid out a timeline of what they suspect happened in court papers.
Tiarra was seen alive on June 22nd at Joey's restaurant in Pasco. She was with Lockhard and Hollinquest and never came home that night.
Two days later, Garcia's mom told police she heard a rumor Lockhard killed her daughter and used a van with a lift to move her.
Now, investigators believe the rumor may have been the truth. Less than an hour after leaving Joey's, Police said Tiairra was inside a van that was part of a hit and run.
That van was owned by Parr.
After the collision, cops suspect the men drove the banged-up van to Verla Spencer's house that night. Court papers report two men possibly pulled a body from the van and brought it into Spencer's house.
When questioned by police, Spencer told them there was no body and no van.
"We know some people told us some information and the leads are in the hundreds, I would say," Lowe said.
The next day, police think the two men ditched the damaged van, got another van, and drove it to Ronald Kinsey's house. Prosecutors could not tell Action News what the relationship was between Lockhard and Hollinquest and Kinsey.
Ultimately, police said the men abandoned that second van at Kinsey's. Inside, police found blood-stained items and duct tape. Police report, DNA on those items matched Tiairra's.
Police were able to track down who purchased the duct tape. Surveillance video from inside Walmart show Spencer bought the tape the day of Tiairra's disappearance. Police said Spencer and Hollinquest drove to Walmart together after Hollinquest's asked her to buy it.
This is also where Parr comes back into play.
Parr told Pasco police she didn't know anything about the van until the 23rd, the day after Tiairra went missing. She told Police she let Lockhard and Hollinquest borrow it for the night.
When the pair met up with Parr on the 23rd, they told her about the collision and to report it stolen. According to court papers, Parr agreed. She reported her van stolen to the Pasco Police Department.
Then the report states, Parr rented a car for the men to leave town.
"If she's alive we'd like to find her and if not we'd like certainly like to put the family's concerns at rest and find the remains to have a proper closure to this particular case," Lowe said.
Court papers said the men told Tiairra's mom her daughter was dead, but that it was an accident, and Hollinquest was to blame.
All four were found outside of Washington State. Lockhard was arrested in Milwaukee, Wisconsin while Parr and Hollinquest were arrested in Chandler, Arizona. It's unclear where Spencer was arrested.
Parr's van was ultimately found abandoned on July 2, 2008, outside of Chicago, Illinois. Police said the van had a rag stuffed in the gas tank and it appeared someone had tried to light in on fire.
All four are either in jail or headed back here.
Benton County also has a warrant out for Lockhard.
Investigators admit they also are looking for more people who may be involved. They're still looking for a body and hope you'll report it if you see anything.
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