Manuel Babe Garcia III, a 45-year-old Hispanic/Latino husband and father, was last seen in the early morning hours of August 5, 1980, after a night that began at Johnny’s Disco Bar on Redwood Road and continued at a private party in Rose Park. His silver 1980 Thunderbird was reported parked near the Jordan River Parkway about 8:00 a.m. that morning; two men were seen sitting in the car for several hours. One was described as a Hispanic male in his late 20s or early 30s with a medium build wearing a blue or black baseball cap; the other was also male and possibly Hispanic.

Garcia’s Thunderbird was found abandoned and impounded on August 7, with blood evidence inside. On August 12 highway maintenance workers discovered a badly decomposed body at 5550 West 700 South, later identified as Manuel Garcia III. An autopsy determined he died of a gunshot wound to the chest; money he reportedly carried was missing. No arrests or publicly named suspects were reported, and the identities of the two men seen in the car remain unknown.

Does anyone have information about Manuel’s movements that morning or about the two men seen in the Thunderbird?