Woman dies after she was mysteriously found critically injured and half-naked in her yard
The investigation into Katie Garcia’s death remains ongoing, though there was no signs of foul play, police tell PEOPLE
NEED TO KNOW
- The family of Katie Garcia said that she was found critically injured outside her Kansas City, Mo., home on July 30
- Garcia died about a month later after she was unable to regain consciousness and doctors stopped medical interventions
- The medical examiner will determine the cause and manner of Garcia’s death after their investigation is completed, police tell PEOPLE
A 42-year-old Missouri woman has died after she was mysteriously found critically injured and half-naked in her own yard.
Katie Garcia, 42, died on Saturday, Aug. 29, after she was unable to regain consciousness following the early July 30 incident, according to her family and friends, The Kansas City Star and Fox affiliate WDAF reported.
According to the family, doctors stopped medical interventions after a month of treatment.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department tells PEOPLE, “The investigation is 100% open and ongoing, it has remained open throughout the entire time since the incident occurred.”
“It remains an open ongoing death investigation, the Jackson County Medical Examiner will make a determination of cause and manner of death at the conclusion of their investigation,” the spokesperson adds.
“This has been terrible for our entire family,” Garcia’s sister, Jennifer Trimble, told WDAF. “You don’t very want to see somebody that you love and that you care about so much found the way she was.”
Family and friends said that on July 29, Garcia returned home near 28th Street and Prospect Avenue after finishing work as a massage therapist, according to the outlet.
Friends said Garcia went to bed and said good night to her husband. But they also alleged something unusual happened: the back door of the couple’s home had opened. A security system recorded the door opening at about 12:21 a.m. local time on July 30, WDAF reported.
Later that morning, Garcia’s husband woke up and discovered his wife missing. Garcia’s friends said he searched inside their home but couldn’t find her.
He then went outside to find his wife unconscious and critically injured in their yard. She wasn’t wearing underwear or pants, the friends said, before being taken to the hospital, WDAF reported.
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In interviews with WDAF, the 42-year-old’s family and friends fondly remembered her.
“Everybody loved her – you couldn’t walk anywhere in this town with her – without getting stopped,” Trimble recalled.
But the family is questioning what happened to Garcia, telling WDAF that she had a blood alcohol level of .400, which is about five times the legal limit. They also wondered why Garcia was not examined for sexual assault, as a warrant is necessary since she was unable to give consent.
And in an email to The Kansas City Star, the police spokesperson added, “There are no immediate sign(s) of foul play.”
WDAF tried to seek comment from Garcia’s husband, who was the last person to see his wife before she was found injured, at the couple’s home. The outlet reported that he did not answer their questions and closed the door.
