“I Forgive You”: Daughter’s Plea in April Marie Garcia Cold Case
INDIANAPOLIS — On the night of April 1, 2025, April Marie Garcia stepped out of her home in the 400 block of Sandra Lane on Indianapolis’ South Side. A neighbor’s Ring camera captured the fleeting image: a 42-year-old mother in a black hoodie, black sweatpants, and white shoes.
It was the last time anyone saw her safe. Since that moment, April has vanished into a void that her eldest daughter, Alexis Ibarra, believes was meticulously constructed by those closest to her.
For nearly a year, Alexis has fought a cross-country battle from her home in California to keep the investigation from going cold. What she describes is not a simple “missing persons” case, but a disturbing “calculated environment” of domestic fear, financial red flags, and a narrative she claims was designed to make her mother appear “unreliable.”
The Anatomy of a Disappearance: “She Left Everything”
The circumstances of April’s departure defy the logic of a person leaving voluntarily. April is a grandmother of two and a mother of four. She is also a person living with epilepsy, requiring consistent, life-saving medication.
“The night that she left, she didn’t leave with anything. Usually, she packs a bag or takes her ID. She left everything… she has a bunch of medications that she has to take and she didn’t take them with her. I don’t know what exactly happened in that house that made her leave in a rush.”
Her cell phone, which Alexis says April was “usually really good” at keeping on her person, was discovered at the home. Though records show the device last pinged in the vicinity of Garfield Park, the discovery of the physical phone at the residence suggests she may have been separated from her only lifeline before she truly disappeared.
The Night Before
According to Alexis, a violent escalation occurred just 24 hours before April went missing. “The night before our mom’s disappearance, her and her brother… they got into an argument,” Alexis revealed. “From what I heard, he pulled out a knife on her. I get calls here and there now, even to this day, of how they used to treat our mom.”
Alexis says that certain family members used April’s history of mental health struggles as a “weakness” to gaslight her and, later, to lead investigators to believe she had simply relapsed or run away.
Perhaps the most chilling revelation involves a financial incentive for April’s “silencing.” A government-issued check, potentially related to disability or tax back-payments, surfaced around the window of her disappearance.
Family sources say that while April was missing, this money was accessed and spent by others. This “payday” motive, Alexis believes, provided a reason for certain parties to ensure April remained “gone” while her benefits continued to flow into the household.
Gaps in the Official Story
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) has conducted searches, including the use of cadaver dogs in the wooded areas near Garfield Park, following tips and pings. The results have been agonizingly inconclusive.
Alexis remains skeptical of the rumors circulating in the neighborhood—including a gruesome theory that her mother was moved in a trash container.
“A lot of the stories don’t make sense to me,” Alexis says. “How is that even possible for someone to disappear like that and not have any trace? I feel like someone knows something and they don’t want to speak the truth because they know they’ll get in trouble.”
In a world of true crime and vengeance, Alexis’s response to the potential tragedy of her mother’s fate is startling. Despite the ransom scams she has endured and the cruelty of those who have mocked her search, she remains anchored in her faith.
“Whatever happened to her, as a Christian, I forgive you. I can’t hold hatred in my heart. God brings everything to light, and He will bring her home when He knows it’s time.”
She continues, “Trust me, I’ve seen God do miracles in my life and one of them, I believe, is that He will bring her home and we will find the answers that we need… I don’t hold any judgment because I’m not one to judge.”
Keeping the Name Alive
For Alexis, the goal is simple: justice and closure. She remembers her mother as the woman who loved MC Magic and Los Lonely Boys, the woman who lived to dance and “would have you laughing until you cry.”
“My main goal is just to find her, get her name out there, and show who she is as a person,” Alexis says. “She’s loving. She’s a great person.”
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION & CALL TO ACTION
Name: April Marie Garcia (DOB: 07/11/1982)
Age: 42
Height/Weight: 5’4″, 145 lbs
Distinguishing Marks: Tattoos on both arms/forearms and lower back; a scar on her right eyebrow.
Frequent Areas: Garfield Park, Fountain Square, and unhoused encampments near the White River.
If you have any information, no matter how small, please contact the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 317-327-3811 or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS.
To listen and watch the full interview please CLICK HERE.
