The son of a woman found hanging while burning from a tree in Griffith Park is now speaking out about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of his mother.
The body of Vanessa Garcia, 36, was found in broad daylight on fire Aug. 9.
Her body was located nearby a carousel in the popular L.A County park, which is not too far from the Griffith Observatory and the Los Angeles Zoo.
She had the most infectious smile and the sweetest personality you could imagine . She was the most beautiful soul with larger than life dreams, and she would have achieved every single one. She was loved . She was love . She was a daughter , sister, mother, grandmother, cousin and all above else, and to all , a friend. I’m still struggling to find words that would be good enough to describe Vanessa .
Independent en Español
Soon after Garcia’s body was found, it was determined by authorities that no foul play was suspected.
A can of gasoline was also located at the scene.
Garcia, a mother of three, is described as a sweet person with a beautiful soul and an infectious smile.
Although authorities have determined Garcia’s cause of death to be suicide, her son revealed notes and diary entries by his mother, detailing claims of abuse and sex trafficking allegedly by an Armenian gang.
Garcia’s son, Anthony Espinosa, tells Independent en Español that his mother did not have a consistent residence. Garcia would show up randomly and sleep at the homes of different family members and then disappear.
“Vanessa was a sweet girl and always smiling. I have nothing but good memories. She was a free butterfly who met many people because everyone loved her energy. She had a stunning personality, even though she was shy at times.”
Independent en Español
Espinosa says the relationship between him and his mother grew distant through the years but she was very close to his sister, Aaliyah.
He also tells the Independent that he remembers his mother making a lot of money growing up but at some point she lost her job. Garcia had lived off her savings but things began to take a turn for the worse around 2018.
Garcia’s official cause of death is suffocation and hanging, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Department.
“They sent an Armenian boy to hit me in the ribs, they also sent another boy to hit me in the face. They also sent another boy to break my legs. They keep attacking me. They keep taking my things from me, they want me to prostitute myself,” reads one of many notes that Vanessa Garcia left in her diary, in line with a picture shared by her son to the Independent en Español.
Independent en Español
Espinosa says he turned the documents written by his mother over to authorities and although he has no evidence of violence against her, he continues to question her official cause of death.
Espinosa tells Independent en Español that several people “drugged her, raped her and threatened her” according to those series of notes that his mother kept as a kind of diary.
“Everything she was experiencing, she wrote down in that diary; there she explains why she did what she did. She was in danger.”
Independent en Español
A longtime friend of Garcia tells me:
“I can only say so much. Until her mom wants to start asking questions then this is what her son is questioning. I have known her forever, I know all of her and the past 3.5 years she distanced herself from everyone. We honestly don’t know what happened.”
Friend of Garcia
