Luis Garcia (Courtesy: Mesa Police Department)
BUCKEYE, Ariz. - Buckeye Police investigators say they believe there may be more victims connected to a man who has been arrested in connection with a child sex crimes investigation.
What we know:
In a statement released on Oct. 1, Buckeye Police announced the arrest of 20-year-old Luis Garcia on Sept. 30.
Court documents related to the case state that the investigation began on Aug. 27, after the parents of a 14-year-old girl called Buckeye Police.
"The parent stated the victim disclosed a sexually explicit video that was being shown around school of her engaged in sexual intercourse with an ex-boyfriend," read a portion of the court documents.
The video, according to detectives, was made when the victim was 13 years old. The ex-boyfriend was initially described as a 14-year-old, but detectives eventually identified the suspect as Garcia.
"The victim stated the defendant sent the video to another student at her school, then the other student was showing it around," investigators wrote. "Students were spoken to at the school and confirmed the video had been shown and sent to them."
After a search warrant was obtained, police said the video was shared three times on one social media site.
Dig deeper:
Court documents state the victim took part in a forensic interview on Sept. 26, where she said she met the suspect on an app where police say "minors can meet other minors in the area and become friends."
"She met [the suspect] on the app, and they started chatting for a while starting in January," officials state. "Eventually [the suspect] provided his number, they began to talk on the phone, [FaceTiming] and [messaging] each other."
Detectives said the victim and Garcia met at a park near her home to play basketball, and that encounter eventually led the two to a home under construction. Court documents contain lurid details on what allegedly happened at the home. The victim also said she and Garcia had sexual encounters between January and March 2025, and that Garcia recorded some of them.
The victim, according to detectives, revealed that she confronted Garcia before for looking older, but Garcia had reassured her that he was only 14.
In an interview that was conducted after Garcia was read his Miranda rights, police said Garcia admitted to having sex with the victim in this case, in addition to a 13-year-old victim from a 2021 case.
What's next:
Garcia, per documents, is accused of three counts of sexual conduct with a minor, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and two counts of child molestation. All are felonies.
A judge has set a $500,000 secured appearance bond for Garcia. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 9.
Why you should care:
"Because this suspect resembles a teen and was using social media to contact minors, Buckeye police believe there may be more victims," read a portion of police's statement.
What you can do:
Police are asking anyone with information that can be helpful in the ongoing investigation to either call them at (623) 349-6411, or submit a tip online.
Submit a Crime Tip - Buckeye Police
https://www.buckeyeaz.gov/crimetip