Fresno County sheriff asks for tips in cold case killing. Mims responded to it as a cop
Thirty-eight years after a young mother was killed in Fresno County, investigators are again asking for information to find her killer.
Irene Garza was found dead in the backyard of her Kerman home on July 13, 1982. It became a cold case that same year.
Garza was 24 years old. She had three young sons – ages 6, 4, and 3 months old – when she was killed. An autopsy revealed she was murdered. She was also described as a domestic violence victim.
Garza’s husband, Abel Garza Sr., who is still alive, was identified as a person of interest in her death, but no one was ever arrested in the case, said Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims during a news conference Monday afternoon.
“We just don’t have enough to focus in on one particular suspect,” said Mims, adding that’s why her department needs more information from the public, and that investigators are keeping an open mind about potential suspects.
Juanita Perales, a sister of the victim, described Irene as a loving woman who was abused. She said finding her killer would finally mean “peace” for their family. Garza had four brothers and six sisters.
Information about this case can be sent to Detective Sergio Toscano at 559-600-8027 or sergio.toscano@fresnosheriff.org, or anonymously via Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 or valleycrimestoppers.org.
Science – including DNA research – has advanced since the homicide, too, which can aid in this case, Mims said.
Homicide case is ‘personal’ for Sheriff Margaret Mims
The case got the attention of a detective who came out of retirement to investigate cold homicide cases part-time. Garza’s case is among more than 30 Fresno County cold cases that Toscano is looking into, sheriff’s office spokesman Tony Botti said.
Mims said when Toscano called her to talk about it, he said, “and, by the way, it’s a case you responded to as a Kerman police officer.”
Mims remembers. It was one of her first homicide cases. She said she was one of two Kerman police officers who responded to that call. She still recalls seeing Garza dead in the backyard of her home on the 500 block of South 8th Street – and later, attending her autopsy. Mims declined to share how Irene was killed.
The homicide case was turned over to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office to investigate because “like now, back then, they handled the homicide cases that occurred in the city.”
Twenty-four years later, Mims was elected sheriff.
“And so this is really personal for me,” Mims said of the case, “because it spans my career working for two different agencies, and there’s a connection there.”
Another connection: One of Irene’s family members works for the Fresno County Coroner’s Office and has helped bring the case back into the light.
Mims also shared this message: “I want to assure the public that these cases just don’t just go away. … We don’t ever close a case unless we solve it.”
Irene Garza homicide first reported as burglary
Abel Garza Sr., called the police about 5:20 a.m. July 13, 1982 to report a residential burglary without mentioning his wife in the backyard, officials said.
Mims called the case “very suspicious from the very beginning.” It was also determined Irene died several hours before officials responded, she said.
“Once officers arrived on scene, Abel informed them he had found Irene on the ground, but did not check for her signs of life,” Botti wrote in a news release earlier Monday. “Officers and EMS checked Irene and found that she was cold to the touch. She was pronounced deceased.”
Botti said an autopsy later revealed she was murdered.
“The house was checked and there was no evidence of forced entry or a burglary,” Botti said. “Additionally, Irene’s purse was found on the floor and the contents were spread around, but there was no evidence that anything was missing from the residence or purse, which contained cash. Garza told officers he was asleep and claimed he did not hear any sort of disturbance during the night.”
Garza denied any involvement in his wife’s death, and her homicide case went cold in 1982.
Domestic violence discussed: ‘Get away from your attacker’
“She was always smiling,” Perales said of her sister, Irene, “and after he (Abel Garza) married her, the smile went away.”
Perales said her sister never told her she was being abused, but other siblings saw abuse – including Abel reportedly throwing a plate of food at Irene because he didn’t like her cooking, and threatening to take their sons from her.
Yet regardless of how she was treated, Perales said, “she always protected him. … She was so loving, so caring.”
Botti said records show Abel Garza was arrested in 2007 for an unrelated embezzlement charge, but nothing related to his wife’s killing.
Mims also used the news conference to reach out to domestic violence victims, urging them to get help, including from the Marjaree Mason Center in downtown Fresno. Mims is on the board of directors for the shelter.
“Irene sounds like a typical domestic violence victim,” Mims said, “who would try to protect her person that was hurting her, who would make excuses for the injuries that were visible on her. And she did try to make plans, and we don’t know if that was the impetus for what happened to her. …
“Get away from your attacker, because this is really an example of a case that shows how important it is, and how that violence can increase as time goes on. Make a plan, pack a go bag, have things ready to go when you have an opportunity to leave.”
Perales said she still cries every Christmas about her sister’s death.
“It’s obvious to me that this is a loving family,” Mims said. “They still miss Irene, and they’re a close family, and we owe them our best efforts to make sure that we try to solve this case, again, to get justice for Irene and her family.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 1:42 PM.
