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Thursday, Jul. 24, 2008

Pasco family says hope fading to find missing 19-year-old

By Paula Horton, Herald staff writer

Purple and white curtains hang in the window of Tiairra Jo Garcia's bedroom.

Her high heel shoes are lined up neatly along the wall and CDs are stacked near an orange jewelry box.

Nothing has changed in the 19-year-old's room since she last left it a month ago -- except that her bed is now made.

Donna Garcia hopes her daughter will return to her east Pasco home to sleep in that bed again, but hope fades with each day that passes without word from Tiairra.

"A mother's always in denial," Garcia said. "In reality, I think that she's gone, but I just don't want to believe it until I see her."

Tiairra Garcia has been missing since June 22 when she left home for a night out with her boyfriend, Marnicus Antonio Lockhard, 29, and his friend, Ashone Mikah Hollinquest, 22.

Her mother realized she was missing the next day when she got a call telling her Tiairra hadn't shown up for her shift at McDonald's.

She never returned home. She never called. She never picked up her paycheck.

Garcia hasn't been seen or heard from since she was last seen late June 22 leaving Joey's Restaurant & Bar in the 1800 block of Court Street with Lockhard and Hollinquest, Pasco police Capt. Jim Raymond said.

Police suspect foul play and have called Lockhard and Hollinquest "persons of interest" in Garica's disappearance.

They've tracked tips and searched around town, but so far nothing's turned up. Investigators believe Garcia has been killed and her body likely buried or covered by debris.

"We've been focusing (our search) in the east side of Pasco and the fields over there, but it's like hunting for a needle in a haystack," Raymond said. "We believe there's people out there who know where she's been dumped."

Investigators now would like people who are out and about to report any suspicious odors or anything that looks peculiar. Vacant lots or areas along the river banks could be possible dumping sites, Raymond said.

"We want people to look out in fields for any oddities to report," he said. "There will be lots of people out this week ... roaming around. We're in hopes that somewhere we might find something."

Pasco police also are looking for Lockhard and Hollinquest, but believe they fled the area.

Last month, Donna Garcia said she talked to Lockhard right after she realized her daughter didn't show up for work. He told her they had gotten into a fight the night before and that Tiairra got out of a van near Les Schwab tire center on Court Street and started walking, Donna Garcia said.

He said he didn't see her after that, she said. Donna Garcia was unable to get Lockhard on the phone again.

Both Lockhard and Hollinquest have been featured in wanted bulletins by Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers.

Lockhard, who also is known by the name Jerome Coleman and "Pooh," is 5-foot-9, 180 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of a heart with a cross on his left forearm.

He is wanted on drug charges -- four counts of delivering cocaine -- and failing to appear in court for an unlawful firearm possession charge.

Hollinquest is 5-foot-9, 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of a cross on his right arm and has a warrant for his arrest from Benton County on a first-degree theft charge.

Anyone with information about the men or Tiairra Garcia's disappearance is asked to call Pasco police at 545-3484 or 545-3421.

Tips can also be made through Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers at 586-8477 or www.tricitiescrimestoppers.org.

Crime Stoppers pays a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information that results in a felony arrest.

Concepcion Garcia also is offering a reward for information about her little sister. The 29-year-old, who lives in Billings, Mont., said she's putting $3,000 into a reward fund and Tiairra's friends also have held two car washes to raise reward money.

The Tiairra Garcia Reward Fund has been established at Wells Fargo Bank.

"People are still talking. I'm hoping that somebody's going to say something and have a conscience," Concepcion Garcia said. "This is someone's daughter. This is someone's sister. This is a member of somebody's family that's missing.

"My mom needs closure. She wants to know what happened and why her daughter."

Rumors circulated shortly after Tiairra went missing, but have slowed recently. Donna Garcia said she heard her daughter was taken to Yakima.

"I don't believe she's here (in the Tri-Cities)," she said. "People need to be looking for things that don't look right."

Tiairra Garcia is 5-foot-7, weighs about 170 pounds, and has brown eyes and wavy, shoulder-length brown hair. She was last seen wearing a brown dress, black leggings and high heels.

"The whole family's still praying for a miracle, but we're kind of preparing for the worst," Concepcion Garcia said.

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