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Thread: An Army sergeant overseas was told his baby died at birth. It was a lie and part of a cruel scheme.

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    An Army sergeant overseas was told his baby died at birth. It was a lie and part of a cruel scheme.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime...Ak6?li=BBnb7Kz

    Damn this is insane

    The 24-year-old U.S. Army sergeant was on overseas deployment in Seoul, a patrol supervisor with the 142nd Military Police Company. As the days crept on in January, another role was coming in fast: that of a dad. Garcia waited for his wife Marina to deliver to their child back in Arizona. But when the report came from home, it was bad. Garcia?s sister called to say the baby, a girl, had died in childbirth.

    ?When my sister called me about that, it was pretty emotional,? Garcia recently told Tuscon?s News 4.? We cried quite a bit together over the phone. It was devastating.?

    The shock and grief were quickly sidelined by more complex feelings the next month, when the soldier learned the truth. Not only was the baby alive ? and a boy ? but the focal point of a bizarre criminal investigation. The child also was not his.

    ?I was under the assumption the entire time that she was pregnant that I was the father,? he told the station. ?When I found out I wasn?t, I was pretty upset, I was kind of in denial. I couldn?t believe what was going on.?

    According to authorities, Marina Garcia lied about the baby?s death to her husband?s family to cover up infidelity. To hide the evidence, she allegedly concocted a plan to hand the newborn over to a couple in Texas, allegedly forging the necessary paperwork to keep the adoption below the legal radar.

    ?The only thing on her mind was getting rid of this child,? Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre said recently. ?The only thing on her mind was getting rid of this child. This ?problem? in her life.?

    The deception began unraveling on Feb. 5 on Interstate 10 in Arizona, the Arizona Range News reported. At around 10:15 a.m., an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer clocked a tan sport utility vehicle shooting eastbound at 90 miles per hour. After pulling the car over, the officer found three people inside ? Alex Hernandez, 33, his wife Leslie, 41, and a newborn baby boy.

    According to the Herald/Review, the officer became suspicious. Upon questioning, the couple admitted the 3-day-old baby was not their biological child. The Hernandez couple told police they had been given the baby by Marina Garcia, and that they had ?conspired with the birth mother (Garcia) to forge the signature as the father to take possession of the infant child,? according to court documents quoted by the Range News.

    When investigators searched through the couple?s cellphones, they saw Leslie Hernandez had set up the handoff with Garcia through texts and Facebook messenger.

    The same day, police traveled to Sierra Vista, Ariz. to interview Marina. Living with a boyfriend, an Army specialist, she admitted to conspiring with the Texas couple. According to Stars and Stripes, Marina told investigators she planned to travel to Texas to sign away her parental rights once she had recovered from the birth. She also said he had given birth to the child at 37 weeks, but actually didn?t know who the father was. It wasn?t, she contended, her husband.


    Back in South Korea, Garcia was contacted by investigators, who told him his child was actually still alive, and a boy. The sergeant took an emergency leave to visit the child, who was taken into state custody. The baby ? named Leo, according to the Stars and Stripes ? is now with foster parents. Paternity tests determined Garcia was not the father. He has since filed for divorce from his wife.

    Although money does not seem to have been exchanged for the child, Marina and the Hernandez?s all faced criminal charges for their role in the scheme.

    ?What scares me is that if it hadn?t been the Hernandez?, if the couple hadn?t been willing to step forward, then what person off the Internet might have been next?? Cochise County Attorney McIntyre told News 4.

    In April Alex Hernandez pleaded guilty to committing forgery, and his wife Leslie pleaded to conspiracy to commit forgery, the Herald/Review reported. Each was given four years of supervised probation for the charges.

    Marina Garcia pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempted scheme to defraud, according to News 4. She refused to comment on the details of the case when a News 4 reporter knocked on her door recently. When asked about the baby?s paternity, Marina would only say, ?It?s unknown.? Her sentencing is scheduled for next month.

    But that is not stopping Garcia from trying to stay in the child?s life. He?s already visited Leo eight times and plans to petition for custody. Garcia told News 4 his own experience as an adopted child directed his moral compass.

    ?My adopted father completely changed my life,? Garcia said. ?Without him I would not be where I am today. And for the opportunity to do that for someone else, I believe it?s important. It could change the child?s life and give him a better future and I believe that?s the right thing to do.?

    Damn and sick too.

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    http://www.newsweek.com/soldiers-wif...ldbirth-936202


    http://www.kvoa.com/story/38179255/n...rs-baby-battle
    More updates of this crime.

    Speaking to the News 4 Tucson Investigators via Skype in his first interview about the case, Sgt. Garcia said, "I was under the assumption the entire time that she was pregnant that I was the father. When I found out I wasn't, I was pretty upset, I was kind of in denial. I couldn't believe what was going on."

    The baby boy was born on Feb. 2 at Canyon Vista Medical Center in Sierra Vista. Cochise County investigators say that a few weeks earlier, Marina Garcia told Steven Garcia's sister that the baby was a girl, and had died during childbirth.

    Sergeant Garcia told us, "When my sister called me about that, it was pretty emotional. We cried quite a bit together over the phone. It was devastating."

    But it wasn't the truth.

    On Feb. 5, an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper stopped a car for speeding on I-10 near Willcox. Inside the vehicle were a couple in their 40's, identified as Alex and Leslie Hernandez of Kenedy, Texas. Also inside in car: a newborn baby boy.

    The alert trooper (who declined an interview for this story) told investigators the couple seemed nervous and, eventually, admitted they were not the parents. Department of Public Safety reports state that the couple said they, "conspired with the birth mother, who was identified verbally as Marina Garcia, to forge the signature as the father to take possession of the infant child."

    Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre says Marina Garcia could have simply told hospital staff that she didn't want the baby, or dropped the infant off at a safe haven, such as a firehouse, or given him up for adoption. Instead, investigators say she lied to her husband's family and gave the newborn to the Hernandez', who were old friends of hers from when they lived in California.

    McIntyre said of Marina Garcia, "The only thing on her mind was getting rid of this child. This 'problem' in her life. What scares me is that if it hadn't been the Hernandez', if the couple hadn't been willing to step forward, then what person off the Internet might have been next?"

    The County Attorney says there is no evidence that any money changed hands, that Ms. Garcia just gave the baby to Alex and Leslie Hernandez after forging the birth certificate. Ms. Garcia has also said no money was involved.

    The News 4 Tucson Investigators found Marina Garcia at an apartment in Sierra Vista. She repeatedly said she would not answer any questions, but did say that Steven Garcia is not the biological father. When we asked who is, she answered, "It's unknown."

    Sergeant Garcia, as you might expect, has filed for divorce. DNA tests show that he is not the biological father. However, he wants custody of the baby and has gone into debt to travel to the U.S. to visit the infant. Because, you see, Steven Garcia is adopted.

    Sgt. Garcia said, "My adopted father completely changed my life. Without him I would not be where I am today. And for the opportunity to do that for someone else, I believe it's important. It could change the child's life and give him a better future and I believe that's the right thing to do."

    One thing Marina Garcia did say to us is that Steven Garcia "is not gonna get custody of the baby."

    Marina Garcia pleaded guilty to an attempted scheme to defraud by forging the birth certificate, naming Alex Hernandez as the father. That's a felony; her sentencing is scheduled for next month. It had been scheduled for today, but was pushed back because the County Attorney and the probation report recommends that Ms. Garcia be sentenced to prison. Her attorney is contesting that and so a mitigation hearing will be held before her sentencing.

    Alex and Leslie Hernandez, who investigators say cooperated with them and had no prior felonies, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit forgery. Each received four years of supervised probation.

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    This will be a Lifetime movie, for sure.


    Quote Originally Posted by marakisses View Post
    yes i said i will leave it under you storage he said cuddle with me i said shut up it over??? what am i doing wrong??
    Quote Originally Posted by curiouscat View Post
    Happy Birthday! I hid a dead body in your backyard to celebrate. Good luck finding it under the cement. You can only use a stick to look for it.

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    https://www.12news.com/article/news/...n/75-557341129

    Here is an Update

    TUCSON, Ariz. - A Tucson solider stationed in South Korea is facing a personal battle when it comes to getting custody of a baby. The story is full of heartbreaking hurdles, but the biggest was finding out the newborn baby boy wasn't his biological son.

    Army Sergeant Steven Garcia is going into debt trying to get custody of the child he was tricked into believing was his before he was deployed.

    “I would just ask her, 'Why?' why she lied about everything.” Sgt. Garcia said.

    Garcia was an expectant parent as of 2017, but in February of this year his soon-to-be ex-wife Marina Garcia told him the baby died during labor while he was overseas.

    “When my sister called me about that, it was pretty emotional. We cried quite a bit together over the phone. It was devastating,” he added.

    What he didn't know was that the baby was still alive, even though DNA testing later determined the child is not actually his.

    “When I found out I wasn't, I was pretty upset; I was kind of in denial. I couldn't believe what was going on,” Sgt. Garcia said.

    What's worse is that the baby was apparently too much for Marina to handle.

    Cochise County Attorney Brian McIntyre said Marina gave the newborn to a couple who are old friends of hers.

    “The only thing on her mind was getting rid of this child, this 'problem' in her life,” McIntyre said.

    But just 72 hours later, Alex and Leslie Hernandez were pulled over with the infant in the car. Authorities say the pair told troopers the baby wasn't theirs and that the trio conspired to forge the birth certificate.

    Marina didn't want to talk to the media but made sure to mention that the child didn't belong to Steven.

    “He's not going to get custody of the baby. He's not the biological father,” Marina said.

    Still, Steven is not letting that stop him, his determination to adopt the little boy stems from his own upbringing.

    “My adopted father completely changed my life. Without him, I would not be where I am today,” he said.

    Marina has pleaded guilty to felony forgery charges for naming Alex Hernandez as the father.

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