More than a week after he was reported missing, the friends and family of Boston College student Franco Garcia are not showing any signs of slowing down their search.
The latest "Find Franco" effort looks to raise money for the Garcia family and the continued search efforts. Yesterday an online fund was started to collect donations and in less than 12 hours, the fund managed to gather more than $600 from 22 donors.
According to the online donation site, which is facilitated through WePay, the donations "hope to bring in extra resources to help aid the Garcia family and contribute to the continued search."
Garcia, 21, has been missing since 12:15 a.m. on Wed., Feb. 22. He was last seen at Mary Ann's bar in Cleveland Circle, Brighton.
Garcia, who is from West Newton, is described as a Hispanic male, 21, about 5'9" tall and 200 pounds. He was last seen wearing a blue-and-white-striped button-down shirt, a North Face jacket, and glasses.
News of the "Find Franco" fund was posted to the Facebook group created to gather and share information about Garcia's disappearance. Friend and fellow classmate Rachele Reis posted the information.
Meanwhile, the search efforts for Garcia continue. Later this morning a State Police dive team is expected to return to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir to search for evidence related to Garcia's disappearance.
The dive team has spent three days searching the reservoir with trained divers as well as a side-sonar scanner, all with negative results. Members of the State Police Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) and K9 units have spent hours searching the area around the reservoir.
Tonight, a candlelight vigil for Garcia is planned for 7 p.m. at the Cassidy Playground, which is near the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.
Anyone with any information about Garcia's disappearance is urged to call Newton Police at 617-796-2100 or Massachusetts State Police at 617-727-4812. Or leave a comment in the comments section below.
Looking for more stories and updates on Franco Garcia? Check out this page with complete coverage.
