Jose Felix Missing Person Case

Apr 11, 2011

May 30, 2023

Jose

Felix

44

20

70 inches

150 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the summer of 2002, a young man's journey from Texas to Michigan in search of seasonal work took a devastating turn, leaving his family with unanswered questions for decades. Jose Fidencio Felix, a 20-year-old male, was last seen in Bad Axe, Michigan, on July 18, 2002. He and a co-worker, Ricardo Garcia, had traveled north from their homes in Hidalgo County, Texas, to work with family in the agricultural fields of Michigan's "thumb" region. Their hopes for the season were abruptly shattered on a Thursday evening at the Maple Lane Motels, located just outside the small city of Bad Axe, where an encounter spiraled into a mystery that endures to this day. The circumstances surrounding Jose's disappearance are distressing and point to a calculated abduction. On the day he was last seen, Jose and Ricardo Garcia were involved in a heated argument with two other men and a woman in a room at the motel. The dispute was reportedly over money. Following this confrontation, both Jose and Ricardo were seen getting into a car with the other individuals and driving away. They were never heard from again. Investigators believe this was not a random act and that the two men were kidnapped. The prevailing theory held by law enforcement is that they were first transported to Saginaw, Michigan, before being taken to either Texas or Mexico. This belief was compounded by the fact that it was highly uncharacteristic for either man to fall out of contact with their families. The investigation, led by the Huron County Sheriff's Office, began swiftly but soon hit daunting obstacles. A week after the disappearance, authorities located two vehicles they believed were connected to the case: a 1987 Ford Taurus found at a migrant camp in Huron County and a Chevrolet S-10 Blazer discovered in Saginaw. However, a third vehicle, a dark brown or maroon 1990 Mercury believed to have been used by the abductors, remained missing, as did a pickup truck associated with the victims. Descriptions of the men involved in the argument were released; one was a 27-year-old, 5'4" tall, who wore significant amounts of gold jewelry, and the other was a 31-year-old, 6'0" tall, and weighing around 320 pounds. Despite these leads and the recovery of the vehicles, the trail grew cold. The case of Jose Felix and Ricardo Garcia has since remained an unsolved and troubling chapter in the community's history, a painful reminder of two young men who vanished after a heated dispute on a summer evening.

Jul 18, 2002

Bad Axe

Michigan

Huron County

48413

9929

Huron County Sheriff's Office

Bad Axe

Michigan

Huron County

48413

250 East Huron Avenue, Michigan

9892696500

County

Law Enforcement

7434-02

Huron County Sheriff's Office

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/13/2026