Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre announced a man was arrested at a Raceland motel after being found with a teenage girl who was missing in Virginia. Wilder Garcia, 23, was arrested following an investigation.
On July 12, 2022, deputies and detectives responded to a motel on LA Highway 182 in Raceland in reference to locating a 14-year-old girl who had been reported missing from Fairfax County in Virginia since July 8. She had recently contacted her mother to tell her she was ok, and she was reportedly with Garcia. Investigators were able to pinpoint her cell phone location at the motel in Raceland. After responding to the hotel, deputies were eventually able to locate Garcia and the girl. Investigators learned the two had been communicating over Facebook Messenger before leaving Virginia together. Detectives also learned Garcia allegedly had sexual intercourse with the teen girl at the motel.
Garcia was arrested and booked into the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex. He was charged with felony carnal knowledge of a juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. Bail is set at $151,000.