Irvin Alarcon Garcia was 27 years old when his body was found on Wednesday, August 8, 2018, along La Tuna Canyon Road in Shadow Hills, just east of the 210 Freeway off-ramp. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, he died of stab wounds. His death was ruled a homicide, and it is listed as a case of the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Bureau Homicide unit.
The Los Angeles Times Homicide Report listed the date of his death as Wednesday, Aug. 8, and said he died "after being stabbed in Shadow Hills." The local paper, the Crescenta Valley Weekly, reported more. A pedestrian walking along La Tuna Canyon Road that morning made the discovery. LAPD Detective O'Donnell told the paper that "The body of a male Hispanic was found off La Tuna Canyon just east of the 210 ramp."
According to the paper, the body was in "a household garbage container, not a city-owned garbage container, on the north side of La Tuna Canyon about a half-mile east of the 210 off-ramp."
A day later the coroner's office released his name. The Weekly reported that his body had been "found wrapped in a blanket in a garbage can," and that the coroner "has determined the date of death was Aug. 5," three days before he was found, according to coroner's spokesperson Sarah Ardalani. That detail suggests he may have been killed somewhere else and his body later left by the road, although no official has said so publicly.
On August 23 the Weekly reported that the autopsy was complete. "His death was due to a stab wound in the chest, according to LA County Coroner," the paper wrote. "The Los Angeles Police Dept. homicide investigation is ongoing."
Beyond his name, his age and the place where his body was found, almost nothing about Irvin Alarcon Garcia has been made public. No obituary, memorial page or family fundraiser could be found, and police have not said where he lived, where he was last seen or who reported him missing, if anyone did. Irvin Garcia is a fairly common name in Southern California, and searches turn up several other men who share it, none of whom can be tied to this death.
La Tuna Canyon Road winds through the Verdugo Mountains between the northeast San Fernando Valley and the Crescenta Valley, crossing the 210 Freeway near Sunland and Tujunga. Away from the freeway it is a quiet road through brushy canyon land, with few houses along much of its length. Shadow Hills is a semi-rural community known for its horse properties.
Los Angeles recorded about 260 homicides a year in 2018 and 2019, among the lowest yearly totals in more than half a century, yet many of those killings still went unsolved.
No arrest, criminal charge or court case connected to the death of Irvin Alarcon Garcia could be found in news archives or public records. More than seven years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who knew a 27-year-old man named Irvin Alarcon Garcia, who saw him in the days before August 5, 2018, or who noticed a vehicle stopping along La Tuna Canyon Road east of the 210 Freeway in early August 2018, may hold information that could help. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 877-527-3247 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
