Getting your
Trinity Audioplayer ready...SALINAS – After an extended search, social media has helped identify the family of a deceased man.
The Monterey County Coroner’s Office was unable to locate the family of 53 year old Pedro Sousa Garcia, who died on May 7.
Garcia was believed to be an unhoused individual living in Salinas. Despite the Coroner’s Office’s attempts, searching numerous databases, they were unable to locate Garcia’s family members to allow them the opportunity to make appropriate funeral arrangements.
On June 9, the Sheriff’s Office released a statement to the public asking for help in locating Garcia’s family.
“It is critical to locate the immediate family members,” the statement said.
After the search for Garcia’s family went viral on social media, on Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office announced that his family had been located.
“Social media has become a powerful tool for connecting with our community and reaching people in ways that traditional databases and records searches sometimes cannot,” said Sheriff Tina Nieto in a prepared statement.
“In this case, our public request for assistance generated valuable information that helped us locate Mr. Garcia’s family. The response we received demonstrates the strength of community partnerships and how, by working together, we can help reunite families and provide the closure and dignity their loved ones deserve during a difficult time,” Nieto said.
“The Monterey County Sheriff’s Coroner Office is grateful for the overwhelming support from the community,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Every share, comment and lead contributed to this successful outcome and helped ensure Mr. Garcia’s family could be notified and given the opportunity to make appropriate arrangements for their loved one.”
Chris Hamilton is a California Local News fellow covering Salinas and the Salinas Valley for The Herald. To find out more about the California Local News Fellowship, visit https://fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows/