Tag: sierra lamar

The mother of the suspect accused of kidnapping and murdering 15-year-old Sierra Lamar says she believes her son is innocent, but Sheriff Laurie Smith insists the DNA evidence found in his car and on Sierra’s belongings is damning - even if her body is never found. Meanwhile, a former FBI agent says Antolin Garcia Torres, a husband and father to a 20-month-old daughter, could have fooled everybody.

After a suspect was arrested in connection with the disappearance of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, the community’s reaction has ranged from shock to relief to sorrow. 

Antolin Garcia Torres, 21 of Morgan Hill, was charged Thursday with murdering Sierra LaMar, 15, who has been missing since March 16.

UPDATE: Murder suspect's arraignment moved to San Jose courthouse at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

Antolin Garcia-Torres' mother, Laura Torres, sobbed outside her home at Maple Leaf RV Park when she thought about her son being taken away and charged with the murder of 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, a crime she is certain he didn't commit.

Police arrested a man in connection with the disappearance of Sierra LaMar who has prior arrests and has been linked to at least one incident in a string of unsolved assaults against women in 2009 at two Morgan Hill grocery stores. 

Volunteers and the family of Sierra LaMar will not conduct a search for the missing teen Saturday, which kicks off the Memorial Day holiday weekend. 

Sheriff’s search and rescue personnel will be conducting a search effort in the area of south Morgan Hill this afternoon, according to Santa Clara County Sheriff spokesman Sgt. Jose Cardoza. The ground search operation will focus on open fields and construction sites and zones in south Morgan Hill.

Marlene LaMar, the mother of missing teen Sierra LaMar, released a statement today about the joys of being mother.

Anyone who saw a red Volkswagen Jetta with a black hood in north Morgan Hill or south San Jose on or around March 16 is asked to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, because investigators have linked the vehicle to the disappearance and kidnapping of Sierra LaMar.