'Missing: Dead Or Alive’s Lorraine Garcia Wants To Stay In Hiding
Netflix’s newest true crime docuseries, Missing: Dead or Alive?, takes a deep-dive into the police investigations that surrounded four mysterious disappearances in South Carolina. The docuseries specifically looks at the disappearances of four people: Lorraine Garcia, Amirah Watson, David Taylor, and Sierra Stevens, all of whom went missing under pretty unusual circumstances.
The first case the show delves into involves a woman named Lorraine Garcia, who viewers discover went into hiding to escape her allegedly violent son. And while viewers are taken along for the journey while authorities search for Lorraine, they want to know what happened to her and whether she was ever found. Here’s what to know:
Who is Lorraine Garcia?
Lorraine Garcia is a mom and grandmother who was living in Richland County, South Carolina, when she disappeared at age 61, the docuseries says. She was last spotted leaving a hospital in September 2021. Her former daughter-in-law, Lamanda Moore, filed a missing persons report two months later.
What happened to Lorraine?
It’s not entirely clear. As the docuseries details, Lorraine seemingly disappeared without a trace. There were no signs of her at home when police conducted a welfare check, and her bank account hadn't shown any activity since her disappearance. Lorraine was later classified as “endangered” by police.
In the docuseries, Lamanda explains that Lorraine shared a home with her son (Lamanda's ex-husband), Anthony “Tony” Garcia, an Iraq military veteran with a history of violence tied to his post-traumatic stress disorder. Lamanda said that the last time she spoke to Lorraine on the phone, she seemed “paranoid” and that she was worried people were listening to her.
Lamanda then claims Tony took Lorraine to a lawyer’s office the day before her disappearance, and told her to sell the house. She refused, and he allegedly said, “Mama, do you realize how easy it would be to push you down these steps and kill you? You will do what I tell you.”
When police arrived at Lorraine’s home, none of her belongings were there and the place smelled like bleach, per the docuseries. There were also holes punched in several walls, string attached to a bedroom door, and bolt remnants that suggested Tony had locked his mother up.
Tony also refused to talk about his mother’s disappearance and sold her home on Facebook Marketplace. He was later arrested for using a computer to commit a crime, forgery, and false pretense, per The Cinemaholic. Once she was found, Lorraine didn't want to press charges against her son.
Was Lorraine ever found?
Yes, Lorraine was found toward the end of episode 1. Authorities tracked her down after she contacted her bank to access her account. Lorraine encountered issues with the identification features, and it provided a trace for the police to follow.
“I’ve been trying to start over, just so I can have peace, in my mind and my heart,” Lorraine said in the series. “I don’t want to go back… My son, he did things to me he has never done. I don’t deserve that.”
She also doesn't want anyone to know where she is now. “Right before I left, I was getting scared,” she said. “People I didn’t know [were] coming in through the garage door, coming through the living room. Somebody had been eating food in the closet. All kinds of paraphernalia here and there, and I didn’t feel safe.”
Where is Lorraine Garcia now?
In the docuseries, Lorraine said she “got on a bus and went as far as I could” to start a new life. It's not known where she is right now—and Lorraine wants to keep it that way to protect herself from her son.
Catch more of these true crime stories on Netflix's Missing: Dead or Alive?, streaming now.
You Might Also Like
