Missing Colorado Woman's Remains Found After Four Years
Over four years ago on March 18, 2018, Rita Gutierrez-Garcia went missing after hanging out with her friends downtown in Longmont, Colorado. According to reports, around 3 a.m, two 911 calls were made from Gutierrez-Garcia’s phone, but were quickly hung up. Her phone was dropped off the network around 3:10 a.m., last placing her at 3rd Avenue and Vivian Street in Longmont.
Since her disappearance, substantial evidence has been collected connecting Juan Figueroa Jr. to the case. Figueroa has been indicted for the first-degree murder and kidnapping of Rita Gutierrez Garcia in June of 2021. The indictment included a confirmed interaction Figueroa had with Gutierrez-Garcia at 1:30 a.m. the night of her disappearance. As well as the confession of the murder and kidnapping to a cellmate of his, detailing how he strangled and disposed of Gutierrez-Garcia’s body before returning to his sister’s home.
For almost a year this missing person’s case has been labeled a “no body homicide”.
That was the case until April 28th when Rita Gutierrez-Garcia’s remains were found in Weld County, east of Longmont. Despite no identification on the body, the investigators were positive they were hers.
As of Thursday, May 19th, those theories were confirmed by preliminary DNA analysis results, affirming the body belonged to Rita Gutierrez-Garcia.
Figueroa’s next court date is scheduled for June 3rd as a dispositional hearing for a guilty plea and sentencing of the murder.
