A clue to the young woman’s disappearance may lie in Google Street View.
A satellite mapping system captured a photo of 25-year-old Arely Garcia’s customized red Honda abandoned along the California coast on Sept. 22, 2022, just hours after she had last pulled out of her driveway.
“From the day it happened, it’s been like a scary movie. It’s been like a nightmare,” said Arely’s sister, Veronica Garcia. He told Dateline this week.
This creepy photo Appears on Google Street View today — It’s been almost two years since Arely disappeared.
Family members say the photo may hold answers as to why the unique sedan was parked in Big Sur, more than an hour away from Arely’s apartment in Salinas.
“The first thing I noticed was that it wasn’t the way she normally parked,” said Elizette Mendoza, Arely’s other sister.
Arely customized his “baby” car with an air suspension system that could raise and lower the vehicle, people familiar with the matter said. Whenever he parked his car, he would lower it completely to the ground, a process known as “slamming” it in auto slang.
The abandoned bright red Honda had no impact damage on the fateful morning and the driver’s seat was pushed further back than Garcia would have been driving, raising suspicions that someone else may have been driving it.
Her family first spotted the car using a tracking app on their phone around 6pm that day.
Arely’s wallet, keys and cell phone were found in her Honda, but there was no sign of Arely or any sign of wrongdoing.
Around 10 a.m. that morning, 25-year-old Arely’s family became concerned when she began to notice that she was unusually not responding to text messages.
She was supposed to be at work at a local car dealership, but it was soon discovered that Arely never showed up.
A review of CCTV footage showed that she had left her home at 6:30 that morning, but was wearing casual clothes rather than office attire, suggesting she may have been skipping work and planning to meet up with someone.
Exactly when her red sedan arrived at the Big Sur turnoff remains a mystery, but a snapshot from Google Street View helps narrow down the time frame: it was taken around noon that day.
Photos show a car parked in front of a white SUV and a silver sedan. Police later interviewed the car’s owners, neither of whom recalled seeing Arely, suggesting the car had been there for even longer.
Despite their best efforts, police have been unable to find Arely or find any clues as to where she may have gone.
“We truly believe she’s still out there somewhere, I’m sure,” Veronica Garcia said.
