25-year old Homicide Cold Case solved in Morgan City
MORGAN CITY, La. (KLFY) - A homicide that has gone unsolved fore more than 25 years has been solved in Morgan City.
On October 8, 1998, the Morgan City Police Department responded to Youngs Road, regarding a body that had been discovered behind Youngs Park near the wooded area. The body of Amber Lynn Jenkins Garcia was located. The investigation commenced with the Morgan City Police Department Detectives Division when it was determined that Mrs. Garcia's death was the result of a homicide.
Amber Jenkins Garcia
During the course of the investigation, investigators collected multiple sources of evidence to be analyzed by criminal specialists. As the investigation continued, information and leads turned cold and investigators were unable to make a determination of who was responsible for Mrs. Garcia's death.
Jennifer Vedol
On December 25, 1998, investigators with the Morgan City Police Department responded to the area of Duke Street regarding the body of a female that had been located. The body of Jennifer Vedol was located, and it was determined that her death was the result of a homicide. That investigation commenced by investigators when John Willis Pittman Jr., who was 18 years of age at the time, was developed as a suspect. Ultimately, Pittman was charged in the death of Mrs. Vedol and later pleaded guilty in the 16th Judicial Court to Manslaughter and was sentenced to 40 years at hard labor and taken into custody by the Louisiana Department of Corrections.
John Pittman
Over the years, the investigation of Mrs. Garcia was looked at to see if new leads could be developed regarding her death. In the beginning of 2024, investigators with the Morgan City Police Department Detectives Division resubmitted evidence collected from the scene of Garcia's death to the Acadiana Criminalistics Lab. Over the years with technology advancement in this field, the results yielded that DNA collected from the scene linked Pittman to the death of Mrs. Garcia.
With this new evidence, the investigation was once again rejuvenated. Investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Pittman's arrest on the charge of Second-Degree Murder for the death of Mrs. Garcia that occurred over 26 years ago. Pittman, who is still incarcerated at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center for the homicide of Mrs. Vedol, will now be charged with the death of Mrs. Garcia. He remains incarcerated and will be booked on the new charge and will await court proceedings in the 16th Judicial Court.
Chief Chad M. Adams and the Morgan City Police Department would like to commend all our investigators, from the ones that were involved in the original investigation, to the ones that looked at the case over the years since, and to our current investigators who have now completed the task bringing this heinous homicide investigation to a conclusion. The work that all these investigators have done has brought Justice to not only Mrs. Garcia, but to the family she had left behind. Mrs. Garcia was a daughter and a mother. We pray for the family of Mrs. Garcia and that our lord may place his hands upon them and the Vedol family during this difficult time. As this investigation comes to a close, Chief Adams and investigators with the Morgan City Police Department have been in touch and met with the family of Mrs. Garcia.