Missing Man Found Dead in Arlington Was a Career Center Employee

(Updated at noon) A missing man found dead in Arlington was an Arlington Career Center employee, the school system says.

Haley Garcia, 28, was last seen Sunday in the Lincolnia area, Fairfax County Police said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon. He was considered an endangered missing adult “due to mental and/or physical issues.”

FCPD said Tuesday night that Garcia had been found dead in Arlington. No cause of death was given.

UPDATE: Sadly, Haley Manuel Garcia was found deceased in Arlington County. Our thoughts are with his family. https://t.co/qA7Mu0CZJt

— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) July 24, 2019

Garcia was a former student at and an employee of the Arlington Career Center. A Facebook profile said the Arlington native also worked as an auto technician at a local car dealership.

The following email was sent to Career Center staff last night.

Dear ACC Family,

It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the death of a member of our Career Center family.

We received notice this evening, that our beloved Haley Garcia, one of our security resource assistants, passed away unexpectedly. He had been a member of the Career Center family since high school as an Auto Tech student and later as an assistant in the Auto Tech program for many years. He loved the Career Center with all his heart and considered it his second home. He took care of all of us and always thought first of how to encourage others.  He will be deeply missed.

We do not have any other details to share at this time, and our thoughts go out to his family and friends. We respect their wishes for privacy at this difficult time.

APS Employee Assistance Program staff and counselors will be onsite tomorrow morning at ACC from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm to provide support as we process this loss. We all should expect and try to understand that there will be a variety of emotions and responses to what has occurred, so the most important thing we can do is to support one another.

Funeral arrangements are not yet available and we will pass along more information when we have it. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need support.

Margaret Chung
Principal
Arlington Public Schools
Arlington Career Center

Arlington County Police say Garcia’s body was found during a search on the 2600 block of 9th Road S., between the Career Center and Columbia Pike. From ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage:

At approximately 4:26 p.m. on July 23, police responded to the 2600 block of 9th Road S. to assist Fairfax County Police with attempting to locate a missing and endangered adult. Upon arrival, the individual was located deceased. Based on the preliminary investigation, the death does not appear suspicious and there is no ongoing threat to the public related to this incident. The department is conducting a death investigation and cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.