Investigators continue excavating two West Chester Township properties for evidence tied to Rigoberto Jose Garcia’s disappearance nearly nine years ago.
WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, OH — The son of the woman who owned two properties being searched in the 2018 disappearance of Rigoberto Jose Garcia has been arrested in Indiana on a handgun charge, while investigators continue a large excavation in southwest Ohio.
Gary Tzeiranakis was arrested Saturday in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on a charge of unlawfully carrying a handgun, according to police and jail information reported by Cincinnati-area news outlets. Fairfield Township police said he is not being held on any charges from their department and have not said the Indiana arrest is connected to Garcia’s disappearance. Authorities also have not identified Tzeiranakis as the person of interest previously disclosed in the missing-person investigation, and he has not been charged in Garcia’s disappearance.
The arrest adds a new development as Fairfield Township police, West Chester police and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation continue searching adjoining properties on Gregory Creek Lane. The properties were owned by LaWana Tzeiranakis, 72, who died in October. Her obituary identifies Gary Tzeiranakis as one of her children. Police have said the property search was prompted by a tip and that investigators are looking for possible evidence of a crime and human remains.
Garcia was 37 when he disappeared on Jan. 12, 2018. His family reported him missing two days later. Police records and earlier reporting show that Garcia operated a lawn care business and was working in the Maineville area the day he vanished. His wife told investigators she spoke with him that afternoon and expected him home later. Garcia was never heard from again. His white 2011 Toyota Tacoma was found in Fairfield about a week after he disappeared.
The renewed investigation became public in late October when authorities began excavating the two West Chester Township properties with heavy equipment and search dogs. Fairfield Township Police Chief Robert Chabali said investigators received information pointing them to the location and corroborated the tip with other sources. Police have said they believe Garcia’s remains may be on the property, but no human remains had been reported found as the search continued into a second week.
Investigators have acknowledged having a person of interest in Garcia’s disappearance but have declined to release that person’s name, saying additional disclosure could interfere with the investigation. Police previously said the person of interest had a connection to LaWana Tzeiranakis. Authorities have not publicly detailed that relationship or identified the person as Gary Tzeiranakis. Police also have said the tip that triggered the excavation was not a deathbed confession from the property owner.
LaWana Tzeiranakis died shortly before investigators began searching the properties. Police have said her death was not connected to Garcia’s disappearance investigation. The timing of the new tip and the search has drawn renewed attention to a case that had remained unresolved for more than eight years, but authorities have cautioned against assuming that people associated with the property are responsible for Garcia’s disappearance.
The Indiana arrest occurred while excavation work was continuing. Crawfordsville police made contact with Gary Tzeiranakis before he was taken into custody on the handgun allegation, according to reporting based on statements from the city’s police chief. Fairfield Township police later confirmed the arrest but said they could not say whether it had any connection to their investigation in Ohio. The handgun case is separate from the unresolved disappearance unless investigators or prosecutors establish otherwise.
Authorities have not announced a cause or manner of death for Garcia because his remains have not been recovered and he remains officially classified as missing. Police have said determining what happened to him would depend in part on finding evidence and, if remains are located, examination by the appropriate coroner’s office. No criminal charge related to Garcia’s disappearance had been announced as of Tuesday.
The search area includes a large yard containing several structures, requiring investigators to work slowly to avoid damaging possible evidence. Police have maintained security around the properties as excavation crews move through different areas. Authorities have said there is no known threat to people living nearby. The search has involved multiple law enforcement agencies because of its size and the possibility that forensic evidence could be recovered.
Garcia’s disappearance has remained open since 2018. At the time he went missing, authorities described him as 5 feet, 1 inch tall and about 135 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a scar on his right palm. Early missing-person reports said he was a U.S. citizen of Guatemalan descent. His abandoned truck became one of the first major pieces of evidence in the investigation, but years passed without a public resolution.
Investigators have not said how long the Gregory Creek Lane excavation will continue. Fairfield Township police are still seeking information from anyone who knows about Garcia’s disappearance, suspicious activity involving the properties or events there in early 2018. As the search continues, no remains have been publicly identified and no one has been charged with causing Garcia’s disappearance.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 3, 2026.