Watch CBS News

Missing Woman Believed To Be Dead, Person Of Interest ID'd

By Dillon Thomas

LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) -  Detectives in Longmont no longer believe Rita Gutierrez-Garcia is alive, according to Longmont Police Deputy Chief Jeff Satur. However, they tell CBS4 they have identified a person of interest.

Gutierrez-Garcia went missing on March 18, St. Patrick's Day, and hasn't been seen since. A $10,000 reward is still being offered for information in the case.

Rita Gutierrez-Garcia
Rita Gutierrez-Garcia (credit: CBS)

Police searched a lake in Longmont shortly after her disappearance and were unable to find any evidence leading to her location.

Her family held a prayer vigil for her the next day and dozens showed up.

Gutierrez-Garcia is a mother who was described as loving. Both family and police said they didn't believe she would ever leave her children for this long of a period.

Police talked about the search for the missing mother during news conference on Monday morning.

"It breaks our hearts to have to announce that we think she's dead," said Longmont Police Deputy Chief Jeff Satur. "We hold out hope but our investigation has not lead us to believe that she is alive today."

The investigators said they needed help from the public to find Rita and that they know someone out there has information.

Anyone with tips that might be helpful to investigators is asked to call (303) 774-3700 or email policetipline@longmontcolorado.gov.

Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.