In the autumn of 2020, a series of disappearances in Colorado's remote and vast San Luis Valley spread a chill of fear through its small, tight-knit communities. Among those who vanished was Xavier Zeven Garcia, a 24-year-old Male resident of Saguache. His disappearance on October 16, 2020, would unravel a horrific story of a serial killer who preyed on the vulnerable, leaving a trail of death and grief across the high-altitude desert.
Xavier, known to some as "Zeven," became tragically entangled with a man nicknamed "Psycho," and for that, he paid the ultimate price.
Xavier's mother reported him missing after he left in the early morning hours of October 17 to supposedly collect $2,500 from a man named Adre Jordan Baroz. He was never seen or heard from again. As the weeks went by with no word, his case was linked to a growing number of missing persons in the area, including 19-year-old Selena Esquibel, 31-year-old Korina Arroyo, 38-year-old Myron Martinez, and 34-year-old Shayla Hammel. The disappearances triggered a multi-agency investigation that would soon focus on Baroz, a man with a history of violence.
The grim breakthrough came in November 2020, when investigators, acting on a warrant, discovered human remains on two separate properties in Conejos County, near the small community of Los Sauces. The properties were connected to Baroz, who was apprehended after a manhunt that ended in Gallup, New Mexico. At the rural sites, investigators uncovered what they described as "burn pits," where the killer had attempted to destroy the bodies of his victims. Forensic analysis eventually identified the remains of Esquibel, Martinez, Hammel, and Arroyo. Xavier Garcia, however, was not among them; his body has never been found.
Despite the absence of his remains, the investigation built a strong case against Baroz for Xavier's murder. Court documents and witness statements alleged a chilling motive. Investigators believe Baroz first killed Selena Esquibel because he thought she was telling people he had sexually assaulted her. According to an informant, Xavier was then involved in disposing of her body. He was allegedly murdered by Baroz after demanding payment for his role in the grim task.
The investigation revealed that Adre "Psycho" Baroz was a small-time gang leader who, over a period of about three months, had shot or stabbed his victims before attempting to incinerate their bodies. His crime spree, which terrorized the San Luis Valley, involved accomplices, including his brother, Julius Baroz, and another man, Francisco Ramirez, who owned one of the properties where the remains were burned.
In March 2024, to avoid the death penalty, Adre Baroz pleaded guilty to a staggering list of charges. His plea included five counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Xavier, Selena, Korina, Myron, and Shayla. He also admitted to five counts of tampering with a deceased human body, first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree kidnapping, and second-degree assault.
The legal process brought a measure of finality to the horrific case. A judge handed Adre Baroz five consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 140 years in prison, ensuring he would never be free again. His brother, Julius Baroz, was sentenced to 25 years for conspiracy to commit murder, while Francisco Ramirez received consecutive sentences for his role in tampering with the bodies.
While the court proceedings have closed, the pain for Xavier Zeven Garcia's family remains raw, compounded by the fact that they have never been able to lay him to rest. His death is a tragic chapter in a case that exposed a dark underbelly of violence in a quiet corner of Colorado, leaving scars on the landscape and in the hearts of five families who lost their loved ones to the senseless brutality of a serial killer.
