Motive, Other Questions Surround LaMar Murder Suspect

Sheriff's personnel arrested , 21, on charges of kidnapping and murdering Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar, Monday, after surveying the suspect for over a month. 

Although detectives believe Garcia-Torres is the suspect they've been seeking for over two months, many questions remain regarding how he murdered Sierra and if the teen's actually dead.

Patch has attempted to answer some of these questions, below. 

Questions that Remain:

How do authorities know Sierra is dead? Although Sierra is believed to be dead, authorities declined to release specific details about how the murder may have happened. They do not have a weapon associated with her murder, Smith said, and wouldn’t common on whether evidence was uncovered in Garcia-Torres’ home. 

Was there a motive? A motive has not been determined as of yet.

“We don’t know that,” Smith said. “It was a stranger abduction—they didn’t know each other beforehand.”

Does Garcia-Tores have an alibi? 

Garcia-Torres has not disclosed whether he has an alibi, Smith said. The suspect has remained mum throughout interviews, making it difficult for authorities to test for an alibi, Smith said.  

Was there blood? 

Blood has apparently not been located, although detectives aren’t commenting on the possibility of blood or any details surrounding that question. 

What's Garcia-Torres' bail set at and has the suspect lawyered-up? 

Authorities would not comment on whether Garcia-Torres' has a lawyer, nor would they discuss his bail amount.

What are the next steps: 

Garcia-Torres will be arraigned, likely on Thursday, on charges of kidnapping and murdering Sierra LaMar. The exact time, date and court room number have not been released. Sheriff's personnel will resume searches for Sierra until her body is found.

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