Mystery as well-liked woman, 42, is found dead at historic Midwest home, as stricken husband offers his theory on what happened to her
Katie Garcia, a 42-year-old massage therapist from Kansas City, Missouri, has died in hospital roughly a month after she was found critically injured and partially undressed in her own backyard. Police say there were no immediate signs of foul play at the scene on 30 July, but detectives are continuing to investigate, and the medical examiner has yet to establish a cause of death. Her husband, Billy Taylor, believes she suffered a fatal traumatic brain injury after a fall, while some of Garcia's family and friends suspect the death was suspicious and have raised funds to hire a private investigator.
Garcia had gone to bed as normal after work, but her home security system recorded a back door opening at around 12.11am. Her husband later found her unconscious and bleeding in the side yard and called emergency services; she never regained consciousness despite multiple surgeries and died after nearly a month in hospital. Her family says a six-hour gap that night remains unexplained, no forensic exam was carried out, and her blood alcohol level on arrival at hospital was around five times the legal limit. They have also been unable to determine whether she was sexually assaulted, as a rape kit could not be performed without her consent.
- Kansas City masseuse, 42, dies weeks after mysterious backyard injury
- Husband believes it was an accidental fall causing brain injury
- Family suspects foul play, raises funds for private investigator