SUMTER, S.C. — On what would have been Brent Garcia's 20th birthday, his family has organized a search for Brent or clues to his disappearance from Sumter in December of 2020.
Friday night, Garcia's family began preparing for another search on Saturday morning as volunteers get ready to search areas of Sumter, looking for any clue that could lead to answers in case.
Brent Garcia hasn’t been seen since December 26th, 2020. He was 18 at the time of his disappearance.
According to his mom, Angel Brown, he was at his cousin's house in Sumter the night he went missing.
“Brent never went back in, and that’s the last anybody had seen or heard from him,” Brown said. “He was known to walk…. He always stayed in contact with somebody in the family.”
16 months since going missing, Angel is still asking what happened to her son. “Unfortunately, I fear that the worst has happened. We don’t know the details of what or where he may be.
His younger sister, Maddie Garcia said she knew something was wrong when she found his phone in his cousin's house.
“He carried his phone everywhere," Maddie said. "It didn’t matter if he was going from one room to the next, he carried his phone on him at all times.”
Brent's older brother Justin Garcia agreed.
“When he didn’t call anybody in the family, I knew something wasn’t right.”
Brent’s siblings said he loved animals, he loved his friends, he loved his family, and he would do anything for anybody.
“Caring, caring, genuine, goofy," Maddie said about her brother Brent. "Just somebody you could be around every day.”
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office says the case remains active.
“The Brent Garcia case is still one of our number one cases and a significant persons case for this agency,” said Major Randall Stewart with the Sumter County Sheriff's Department. "We have spent countless hours and worked with other agencies, constantly following up on information, Crime stoppers tips, phone calls and anonymous information.”
The family says they are expecting at least 50 people to help with the search on Saturday but are pleading for more volunteers. There will be cake and refreshments available.
If you know anything about Brent's disappearance you're urged to contact Crimestoppers anonymously in any of the following ways:
- Call 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372).
- Use the P3 Tips mobile app.
- LOG ON to www.midlandscrimestoppers.com, and click on the red “Submit a Tip” tab.