After four years of searching, the remains of Rita Gutierrez-Garcia have been found.
Gutierrez-Garcia was last seen on March 18, 2018 at 3’s Bar in Longmont. She had been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with friends and family. She had left the bar around 2:30 a.m. and Juan Figueroa Jr. was identified as an early suspect.
Figueroa was later arrested and found guilty of murder in the “no-body homicide” case. He is currently serving a 93-years-to-life sentence for the attempted murder and sexual assault of another Longmont woman.
The trial moved forward despite the missing remains of Gutierrez-Garcia. However, her family — since the beginning of the prosecution — stated their top priority was the return of Guiterrez-Garcia’s body, a news release from the DA’s Office states.
Working with the defense attorneys, the prosecution was able to notify the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office and Longmont Public Safety of the exact location of Gutierrez-Garcia’s remains.
On April 28, the agencies searched the described area in Weld County, east of Longmont, where they found human remains. DNA samples confirmed the remains belong to Gutierrez-Garcia.
Gutierrez-Garcia’s family was notified and her sister “stated with relief, ‘This is no longer a missing person investigation,’” according to the news release.
Figuroa will return to court on June 3 for a dispositional hearing for both a guilty plea and sentencing for Gutierrez-Garcia’s murder. The case is no longer scheduled for trial, according to the news release.
Details of the case are limited until after the trial, at which time the Boulder County DA’s Office will be able to answer additional questions.
