A Google Street View image from September 2022 appears to provide clues in the unsolved disappearance of a California woman.
The mysterious disappearance of Arely Garcia, 25, has puzzled her family and authorities for nearly two years. In a new development, a Google Street View photo of her body on September 22, 2022 showed her body lying on the ground in a pool of water. image Garcia's distinctive red Honda was photographed parked along the California coast in Big Sur, which may provide clues in the case. according to Garcia appeared on NBC's “Dateline: Missing in America” ​​podcast, where the show said the car was captured in the images just hours after she was last seen driving more than an hour from her Salinas home.
Eerie Google Street View images offer eerie clues in the disappearance of a 25-year-old California woman who disappeared in 2022 https://t.co/mIGfuYxEJ8 pic.twitter.com/WHVNDFLiRI
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) July 19, 2024
“From the day it happened, it's been like a scary movie. It's been like a nightmare,” Garcia's sister, Veronica, told Dateline.
According to Dateline, family members noticed that the car was not parked the way Garcia normally parked, suggesting that someone else may have been driving it. Normally, Garcia would park by lowering the car to the ground using a custom air suspension system and then “slamming” the car, but the car was found raised. (RELATED: Police investigate mysterious death of Dartmouth College student pulled from Connecticut River)
The driver's seat was lowered further back than Garcia was supposed to be in, her family told Dateline. Garcia's wallet, keys, and cell phone were left in the car, but she was not there and there was no evidence of suspicious activity, the podcast noted. Her family reportedly became concerned when she did not respond to text messages or show up to her job at a local car dealership on the day she disappeared. Security camera footage from before her disappearance reportedly shows her leaving her home at 6:30 a.m. wearing street clothes rather than her usual office attire, suggesting she may have been meeting someone.
The illustrated photo shows a Google Street View car parked in front of the Belgian Royal Palace in Brussels during a press conference marking the 15th anniversary of the Google Street View platform, Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (Photo by VIRGINIE LEFOUR/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)
It's unclear exactly when the car arrived in Big Sur, but the podcast noted that a Google Street View image timestamped at noon helps narrow down the timeline. The car was parked between a white SUV and a silver sedan, but according to Dateline, the owners of those vehicles told authorities they didn't remember seeing Garcia, suggesting the car had been there before the image was taken. Despite an extensive search, the investigation into Garcia's whereabouts is ongoing.
