Friends, Family Pray for Franco Garcia's Safe Return

More than five weeks after he went missing, the friends and family of Franco Garcia are continuing to keep faith that he will return home safe. 

was held yesterday at Saint Jude Parish in Waltham. According to WCVB, the Palm Sunday service brought together dozens of people praying for the 21-year-old student. 

Garcia, who is from West Newton, in Brighton. He was last seen by friends around 12:15 a.m. and

Since his disappearance, police have searched the area extensively, . Despite the ongoing investigation, police have not found any clues as to where Garcia may have gone. 

In the meantime, friends and family are continuing the search by , holding as well as .

A Chestnut Hill private investigator, Justin Billard, is also volunteering his time to work with the family and the search.

In an interview with NECN Sunday, Garcia's mother Luzmila said she believes "God is with [Franco]."

"My faith is getting better because I pray to him and he's going to give him back, my boy. I know that. He's going to give me my boy back," Luzmila told NECN.

Check out this article for more coverage on NECN.

Check out this article for more coverage on WCVB.

For full coverage, check out the Newton Patch Franco Garcia story page here.