Utah Department of Public Safety

Manuel Garcia

Manuel, aka “Babe,” age 45, was a husband and father at the time of his death. He was known to carry a weapon and large amounts of cash from his drug dealings. Manuel was out partying with friends in the early morning hours of August 5, 1980. He had been at Johnny’s Disco Bar on Redwood Road until closing at about 2:30am then went with friends to a party at a private residence in Rose Park. That was the last he was seen. Manuel was driving a 1980 silver Thunderbird 2-door hardtop that night. Witnesses recall seeing two men park the car near the Jordan River Parkway at approximately 250 S. 12th W. at around 8:00am on the morning of August 5th. They stayed in the vehicle for several hours. The passenger is described as being a Hispanic male in his late 20’s or early 30’s with medium build and a blue or black baseball cap. The driver was male, possibly Hispanic. The car was abandoned and subsequently impounded on August 7, 1980. There was blood evidence located in the car when it was searched. Manuel’s badly decomposed body was discovered along the roadside by highway maintenance workers in the area of 5550 West 700 South on the afternoon of August 12, 1980. No weapons or cash was found with the body. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the chest.

Contact Detective Ben Pender (385) 468-9816

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