A 23-year-old man allegedly held his girlfriend and her family hostage for six months after falsely claiming he had ties to a cartel.
Dominic Garcia began his alleged reign of terror when he moved into the family home with his girlfriend's two parents and four siblings, one of whom was 17, earlier this year.
Sergeant Aymee Race, a public information officer for the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake, detailed the charges Garcia is facing at a press conference.
Highlights
- Dominic Garcia allegedly held his girlfriend and her family hostage for six months, falsely claiming cartel ties to control them.
- Garcia abused all family members physically and mentally, including forcing grueling workouts and punishing his pregnant girlfriend with an ice bath.
- He restricted their freedom severely, allowing minimal outside time and threatening deadly retaliation if they defied him.
Garcia is alleged to have abused all of the family members and made them fear for their lives
Image credits: Salt Lake City Police
She told reporters that Garcia began a relationship with one of the daughters in November 2024, but when he moved in, he created an atmosphere of “fear and control.”
Garcia falsely claimed that he was affiliated with a dangerous cartel and would not let family members leave the house without his permission, Race said.
Doing so would risk retaliation from cartel members, he told the family, as he claimed “his people were watching” and any defiance could result in death.
Race said Garcia was physically abusing all the victims, including his pregnant girlfriend, whose head he allegedly held in an ice bath as punishment.
One of the family members was also forced to endure a rigorous boot camp involving multiple daily workouts, sometimes lasting up to two hours per session.
Another family member was made to stand nightly guard until 5 a.m. to monitor the residence. At most, Garcia would allow his victims outside the home for two hours at a time.
During the six months, Garcia took the family on a month-long road trip in Utah, forcing one family member to buy firearms, and claimed it was to avoid the cartel.
He reacted angrily when he discovered any outside communication had been made and would regularly inspect phones and devices, Race said.
In addition to this, Garcia was allegedly armed 24/7, always possessing a weapon or having one within reach.
Image credits: Google Maps
He also allegedly abused the family pets inside the home.
On Saturday, May 17, family members were no longer able to endure the treatment and managed to make a 911 call to police.
They held Garcia at gunpoint until officers arrived.
An arrest affidavit obtained by Ca reveals that Garcia admitted everything he told the family was a lie.
“Dominic said that he continued this lie for several months because he did not know how to stop it, in fear that they would not like him,” police said.
Garcia is facing several charges, including kidnapping and assault
The affidavit also further detailed his alleged treatment of the family members.
After the month-long road trip, one family member texted a friend to explain their absence, but when Garcia found out, he reportedly pointed a handgun at her and threatened to kill her.
“The men wanted her punished and held accountable” for her actions, he told her.
The boot camp she was forced to endure included up to five workouts a day as well as ice baths, during which her face was held underwater.
Garcia said this was so she didn’t feel pain because she was going to be beaten by “the men,” according to the affidavit.
She struggled to breathe as he held her face underwater, “until he felt it was sufficient.”
The youngest family member, who is just 17, missed almost a month of her senior school year due to Garcia’s claims that people were going to kill them.
Image credits: Ron Lach (stock photo)
She also had to leave her senior dinner early when Garcia insisted she return home.
“The family has lived in constant fear of Dominic and the people Dominic has led them to believe were trying to kill them for approximately 6 months,” police said in a probable cause affidavit.
“Dominic has had access to handguns and has been threatening to use or have others use those weapons, causing death to the family, causing them to believe their [lives were] in danger.”
Garcia is currently in Salt Lake County Jail facing multiple charges, including aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, animal abuse, stalking, and threats of violence.
“We want to remain deeply mindful of the victims at the heart of this case,” Race said.
“Our thoughts are with the families as they begin the path to healing. We are relieved that they are now safe and able to access the support services they need during this difficult time.”