Missing
Larisa Dalghir Macriello
Macriello, approximately 2013; John Paul Garcia
Date and time person was reported missing : 06/03/2013
Missing location (approx) :
Miami, Florida
Missing classification : Endangered Missing
Gender : Female
Ethnicity :
Biracial, Hispanic, White
DOB : 09/28/1968 (52)
Age at the time of disappearance: 44 years old
Height / Weight : 5'2 - 5'3, 120 pounds
Distinguishing characteristics, birthmarks, tattoos
: Biracial (Caucasian/Hispanic) female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Macriello was born in Panama. Her ears are pierced. Many Age at the time of disappearance: ncies spell her name "Larissa."
Information on the case from local sources, may or may not be correct : Macriello was last seen in Miami, Florida on June 3, 2013. She lived in the 3100 block of northwest 98th Street. She left her residence alone at 10:00 a.m. and has never been heard from again.
She is from Panama and moved to Miami in 2009, and is described as a private, independent person, but she had always kept in touch with her family. When her mother was unable to reach her, she asked her son in Jacksonville, Florida to look for her.
He drove 350 miles to Miami and found her home deserted and her car, a black Ford Sedan, parked outside. The car's driver's seat was adjusted for someone taller than Macriello. The vehicle had been cleaned thoroughly, but there were a few drops of blood on the floorboard and in the trunk.
Her landlady noticed that the car had been gone for about a week after Macriello's disappearance, then mysteriously reappeared. There was no indication of her whereabouts and no indications of a struggle or forced entry at her apartment. Her brother reported her missing on June 18.
Authorities discovered Macriello been having a long-time affair with John Paul Garcia, a married man with a record for drug trafficking, burglary and grand theft. He had been arrested for murder in 1991, but those charges were dropped. A photo of Garcia is posted with this case summary.
He syphoned $26,000 from Garcia's bank accounts in the two months after her disappearance, and authorities believe he also had possession for her cellular phone. They also learned it was he who had been driving her car after her disappearance.
Investigators learned that Macriello had been working as an escort, something Garcia was aware of. When interviewed, he told police the last time he saw her was sometime after July 4, when they had dinner together at a restaurant. By then, however, Macriello had been missing for more than a month.
Garcia was charged with first-degree murder in Macriello's case in 2014, and tried in the fall of 2015. The prosecution put together a circumstantial case. The defense argued that there was no proof Macriello was dead and, if she was, she might have been murdered by someone else.
In November 2015, Garcia was convicted of second-degree murder, as well as grand theft for stealing Macriello's money. He was sentenced to life in prison for the murder and fifteen years for the theft.
Macriello's body has never been found, but foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved.
Other information and links : ncy
Miami Dade Police Department
305-471-2400
September 2021 updates and sources
A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are not known. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2�5% of missing children in Europe.
By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends.
Several organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and imAge at the time of disappearance: s of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.
The Miami Herald
Interactive Missing Person Search Map
