Community
Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Murder Suspect Arrested
| Nature of Incident: | Murder Suspect Arrested | ||||
| Report Number: | VSO: 81-1097 OXPD: 81-20550 |
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| Location: | 700 Block of Mobil Avenue, Camarillo 1200 Block of Gonzales Road, Oxnard |
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| Date & Time: | 01/18/1981 @ 6:30 A.M. 12/12/1981 @ 2:58 A.M. |
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| Unit(s) Responsible: | Ventura County Sheriff’s Major Crimes Bureau Ventura County District Attorney Investigations Bureau Oxnard Police Department Major Crimes Unit Ventura County Sheriff’s Forensic Services Bureau |
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| (S)uspects, (V)ictims, (P)arty, (D)ecedent |
City of Residence |
Age | |||
| (S) Tony Garcia (V) Rachel Zendejas (V) Lisa Gondek |
Oxnard Camarillo Oxnard |
68 20 21 |
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| Narrative: | |||||
| Cold Case Homicide Investigators arrested a suspect responsible for two murders that occurred in 1981. On January 18th, 1981, patrol deputies responded to the 700 Block of Mobil Avenue in Camarillo, after a deceased female was found in a carport, who was the apparent victim of a homicide. The female victim was identified as Rachel Zendejas, who was 20 years of age at the time of her death. Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office investigated this case for several years, until all leads were exhausted, and the case became cold. On December 12th, 1981, the Oxnard Fire Department responded to an apartment fire in the 1200 Block of Gonzales Road in the city of Oxnard. Fire personnel extinguished the smoldering fires inside the apartment and later discovered a deceased female inside, who was the apparent victim of a homicide. The female victim was identified as Lisa Gondek, who was 21 years of age at the time of her death. Detectives from the Oxnard Police Department investigated this case for several years, until all leads were exhausted, and the case became cold. In 2004, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Forensic Laboratory linked both cases to the same suspect via DNA. The suspect’s DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but after several years, there had been no hits. In December of 2019, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit reopened the Zendejas and Gondek homicide cases, and later developed new leads. Through the investigation, detectives identified Tony Garcia as a possible suspect. DNA analysis further confirmed that Garcia is the suspect in both homicide cases. On February 7th, 2023, Garcia was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. Garcia was booked into the Pre-Trial Detention Facility and his bail was set at $2,000,000. This was a joint investigation between the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney Office Investigations Bureau, and the Oxnard Police Department. Anyone with information about Garcia that can further assist investigators on these two cases are encouraged to contact the Cold Case Unit at the below listed phone number or email address. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit is comprised of investigators from the Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office, who collectively review and investigate unsolved homicide cases. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit values any information that may assist in solving a cold case homicide and bring justice to the victims and their families. There are two ways to provide information directly to the Sheriff’s Office:
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| Prepared by: | Sergeant Albert Ramirez | ||||
| News Release Date: | 02/09/2023 | ||||
| Media Follow-Up Contact: | Sergeant Jason Karol (PIO) 805-654-2385 [email protected] Captain Cameron Henderson (PIO) (805) 654-2417 [email protected] |
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| Approved by: Booking Photo Release: |
Captain Victor Medina YES NO |
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Ventura County Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 reward for information, which leads to the arrest and criminal complaint against the person(s) responsible for this crime. The caller may remain anonymous. The call is not recorded. Call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Address/Location
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
800 S Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 805-654-9511