A September 2022 Google Street View image seemingly offers a clue in the unresolved disappearance of a California woman.
The mysterious disappearance of Arelie Garcia, 25, has puzzled her family and authorities for nearly two years. In a new development, a Sept. 22, 2022 Google Street View image appears to show Garcia’s distinctive red Honda parked along the California coast at Big Sur, offering a potential clue in the case, according to NBC’s “Dateline: Missing in America” podcast. The car was captured in the image just hours after Garcia was last seen driving away from her home in Salinas, over an hour’s drive away, the episode noted.
Eerie Google Street View image offers haunting clue to disappearance of California woman, 25, who vanished in 2022 https://t.co/mIGfuYxEJ8 pic.twitter.com/WHVNDFLiRI
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) July 19, 2024
“It’s been like a scary movie since the day it happened. Like, it’s just been a nightmare,” Garcia’s sister, Veronica, told “Dateline.”
The family noted the car was not parked in the usual manner Garcia parked it, suggesting someone else may have been driving it, according to “Dateline.” Typically, Garcia would “slam” the car, lowering it to the ground using its custom air suspension system, when parking but the car was reportedly found in a raised position. (RELATED: Police Investigate Mysterious Death Of Dartmouth College Student Pulled From Connecticut River)
The driver’s seat was pushed back farther than Garcia would have positioned it, her family told “Dateline.” Garcia’s wallet, keys and phone were left inside the car, but there was no sign of her or any evidence of foul play, the podcast noted. The family reportedly became alarmed on the day of her disappearance when she neither responded to texts nor showed up for her job at a local car dealership. Surveillance footage from before she went missing reportedly revealed she left her home at 6:30 a.m. in casual clothes rather than her usual office attire, hinting she might have been meeting someone.
Illustration picture shows Google Street View car in front of the Belgian Royal Palace in Brussels, during a press opportunity on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Google Street View platform, Tuesday 24 May 2022. (Photo by VIRGINIE LEFOUR/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
The precise time the car reached Big Sur remains uncertain, but the Google Street View image timestamped at noon helps narrow the timeline, the podcast noted. The car was parked between a white SUV and a silver sedan; however, the owners of these vehicles told authorities they did not recall seeing Garcia, suggesting the car had been there for some time before the image was captured, according to Dateline. Despite a thorough search, investigations into Garcia’s whereabouts remain ongoing.
