GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ) - Police believe 33-year-old man wanted in the shooting death of a Grand Rapids mother of five may have crossed over the Ambassador Bridge into Canada, court records show.
Information in a probable cause affidavit filed by the Wyoming Police Department showed phone records that pinged 33-year-old accused murderer Yenly Garcia's cell in the area of the Detroit-Canada border crossing on Aug. 21.
As reported via Mlive, the report also said an "agent" at the bridge had made notes about a male traveling alone in his vehicle -- police later determined the man was Garcia.
The affidavit was filed by police in an effort to obtain a murder warrant on Garcia after police say he shot and killed 33-year-old Mollie Schmidt in West Michigan.
Officers said Schmidt went missing on Aug. 21 after she was last seen at her home near the East Beltline & 5 Mile Rd NE in Plainfield Twp.
Nine days later, officers found Schmidt dead on the floor of Garcia's Wyoming apartment in the 1500 block of 44th Street SW -- she had been shot in the forehead, police said.
Officers said they also discovered an AR-15 rifle and .12-guage shotgun as they searched the rest of Garcia' apartment -- ammunition for the shotgun was also located.
After Schmidt's body was found, police refocused their efforts on locating Garcia, who was named a person of interest in the case.
Schmidt's family previously said they were unsure of how Gracia and Schmidt knew one another.
“None of us had ever heard of him,” said Schmidt's aunt, Lisa McGraw.
Wyoming police said evidence they complied could put Garcia in the Grand Rapids area on Aug. 25 -- it is alleged Garcia attempted to Schmidt’s debit card at an ATM.
As reported by Mlive, the court records also showed he tried to use the ATM card a second time at an undisclosed location in southern Michigan.
Throughout the course of the investigation, detectives allege Garcia had communicated with family members about the incident and “alluded to the fact he is involved in the death of Mollie.”
As stated in the affidavit, police allege Garcia said, “If I killed her or not, who cares, that’s my problem.”
Garcia is not unknown to law enforcement.
Related
He was previously behind bars after he was found guilty on unlawful imprisonment charges in Grand Rapids in 2008. Charges filed in the case originally included kidnapping, but Garcia was able to plead down to a lesser charge of assault with a dangerous weapon.
As reported by WOOD-TV, Garcia was paroled in 2016 and released from parole the following year.
Garcia's run-ins with the law stretch back to 2004 and include convictions for drugs, domestic violence, larceny and retail fraud, police records show.
Garcia is described by police as standing 5’ 10'' tall and weighing roughly 200 lbs. He has dark hair and distinctive tattoos on his face. He was last known to be driving a black 2019 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck with a Michigan plate of ELW6780.
Anyone who has seen Garcia or may know his whereabouts has been asked to contact the Wyoming Police Department at 616-530-7300 or Silent Observer at 866-774-2345.
Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-773-2587.
Online submissions can be made here.