Missing posters replaced by memorial after body is recovered
Victim identified as Vt. student
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. - An autopsy yesterday confirmed that a body pulled from the Otter Creek is that of a Middlebury College student who vanished nearly four months ago, police said.
Using dental records, state medical examiner Dr. Elizabeth Bundock confirmed that the remains were those of Nicholas Garza, 19, of Albuquerque.
The cause of death has not been determined. Police Chief Tom Hanley said it might have been an accident.
"It doesn't lend itself well to think there might have been foul play," Hanley said. "We are tending to think . . . it may be a tragic accident, but we're going to hold off on our final determination."
Hanley said police started focusing efforts to find Garza on Otter Creek after an aerial photo in April spotted what could have been a body there. A specially trained dog then tracked Garza's scent to the riverbank above where the image was spotted, Hanley said.
Police still don't know why Garza walked away from campus on the night of Feb. 5 following a gathering with other students and not back to his dormitory in the opposite direction.
The dog followed a well-known path in Middlebury and Garza's scent, but rather than crossing a foot bridge by Middlebury Union High School, it went down to the river's edge.
A wallet, cellphone, and other personal effects found on the body belonged to Garza, Hanley said.
Since Garza disappeared, police and other searchers had spent hundreds of hours scouring the Middlebury College campus. After the snow melted, they turned their focus to Otter Creek.
Garza's mother, Natalie, was at police headquarters before the press conference, but left without making a statement.
Hanley didn't want to characterize Natalie Garza's feelings. "She's a mother who lost a child," he said.
After evidence pointed toward the river, searchers focused on Otter Creek, and cadaver dogs smelled something at several points along the river, Hanley said.
Hanley spotted the body Tuesday afternoon while preparing for a major search of the river this weekend.
Yesterday, a makeshift memorial of driftwood and hand-picked wildflowers was erected above the logjam in the river where Garza's body was found.
Natalie Garza released a statement saying a public goodbye to her son: "We will miss his thick black hair and easy laughter. Nothing in life has prepared us for such a loss. We hope to honor him in the simple and pure way that he lived his life. He was adored, deeply loved, and those who knew him were blessed with an extraordinary man."
For people in Middlebury who had watched Garza search for months for her son, the discovery of his body ended the uncertainty. She'd become well known to people in nearby businesses.
"At least she can close this chapter in her life," said Dominique Dube, a clerk at Blue Moon Clothing and Gifts, a boutique near Otter Creek. "It breaks my heart." 