Sacramento County sheriff's investigators are wrapping up their excavation of an Arden-Arcade backyard, saying they are confident the missing woman's body is not there.
"We feel comfortable leaving believing there are no human remains to be found here," said sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos.
After consulting with specialists from the Sacramento County District Attorney's Crime Lab, investigators determined they had acted appropriately based on alerts from cadaver dogs but that further digging would not yield any more evidence in the case of Regina Garcia, missing since 2008, Ramos said.
Garcia, 33 at the time she was reported missing in October 2008, lived at the Stewart Drive home where the excavation is taking place. Her boyfriend, Randy Macedo, lived with her at the time and continues to reside there.
"We could spend forever digging up the yard 10 feet down, 4,000 square feet across but it's not realistic to do that," he said.
Ramos said the next step for investigators will be to analyze potential evidence collected from the home and the backyard during Wednesday's efforts. It is unclear as of yet whether those items will provide any new leads in the disappearance of Garcia, who has not been heard from since Macedo reported her missing.
Macedo, 56, is currently being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of various weapons and drug charges unrelated to his girlfriend's disappearance. He is not a suspect in that case, according to authorities.
To read about Wednesday's developments, click here.
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