Missing Dad and Daughter Found Dead in Ohio River

Authorities have positively identified the remains of a father and daughter after their bodies were pulled from an Ohio river.

The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office identified the pair as Scarlibeth Garcia Montes and Oscar Garcia, the Dayton Police Department announced in a statement on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

The positive identification came one day after the pair was first discovered in the Great Miami River near West Riverview Avenue and West Monument Avenue, Monday, Sept. 15, police said.

Crews were sent around 1:20 p.m. local time after a caller reported seeing a body in the water.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the Garcia family and ask the community to keep them in their thoughts and respect their privacy during this difficult time,” the Dayton Police Department said.

The father and daughter were last seen around 5:45 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, the girl’s mother told police, who shared a missing persons flyer online the next day.

Officials found the family’s vehicle in a parking lot near a Code Credit Union and recovered the child’s shoes along with socks, keys, a tablet, and a cell phone near the river, police said in the flyer.

Garcia was 28 years old, and his daughter was 9, the Dayton Daily News reported. Officials located the victims in the Great Miami River after a 911 caller told authorities, “I’m walking across the bridge and I’m looking out at the water and I do believe it’s a body right here.”

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Their bodies were discovered in roughly the same area where crews from several agencies, including the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and fire department dive teams, among others, searched for them on Sept. 11 and Sept. 12, police added in a separate statement.

It remains unclear how the two ended up in the water. Police said in their Sept. 16 statement that they are investigating, and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office will determine the victims’ cause of death.