Continuing our ongoing series.
The search for Franco Garcia continues…
Newton North Junior Carla Forbes jumped 42’5.25″ on her first jump to set a new meet record at the 2012 New Balance Indoor National Championships, also setting Mass. and New England records She was just 0.25″ shy of the all-time National indoor record for high school Juniors.
The Franco Garcia situation is heartbreaking. For those who may not be aware, Franco is a 21 year old Boston College student who has been missing since February 22. He is from Newton – a graduate of Burr/Day/Newton North – who lives at home with his parents and 3 siblings while majoring in chemistry at BC and working full-time as a pharmacy technician at the CVS in Waltham. He hopes one day to become a doctor.
On the evening of February 21, Franco went to Mary Ann’s in Brighton with some friends after band practice at BC. Friends recall seeing him in the bar around midnight, but when they gathered at closing time to head back to BC they couldn’t find him. He did not show up for classes or work the next day, and his car was still parked in the same spot on campus. Video from a security camera at an ATM near the corner of Beacon St and Chestnut Hill Ave captured images of him walking by at 12:18am (without his jacket, which was found later at the bar); the last ping from his cell phone was in this area at 1:17am. An extensive search of the area, including the nearby Chestnut Hill Reservoir by the State Police dive team, has turned up nothing.
Needless to say, his family and friends are devastated, but they have not given up hope. Many people from the Newton and BC communities (as well as complete strangers) have stepped up to help with the search and to support the family. For more information about the search for Franco, please visit: http://www.findfranco.org or the Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/findfranco