The murder of Amber Lynn Jenkins Garcia
Morgan City, St Mary County, Louisiana · 1998
Overview
Amber Lynn Jenkins Garcia, a 20-year-old woman described by police as a daughter and a mother, was found dead on October 8, 1998, in a wooded area behind Youngs Park on Youngs Road in Morgan City, Louisiana. Her killing went cold despite an initial investigation. At the beginning of 2024, Morgan City Police Department detectives resubmitted evidence collected from the scene to the Acadiana Criminalistics Lab, where advances in DNA analysis linked the evidence to John Willis Pittman Jr. Pittman was already incarcerated at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, serving a 40-year sentence after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the December 25, 1998 death of a second Morgan City woman, Jennifer Vedol. On October 30, 2024, investigators obtained an arrest warrant and Pittman was booked on November 6, 2024 on a charge of second-degree murder in Garcia's death, more than 26 years after the homicide. The case remains pending in the 16th Judicial District Court.
How it was solved
Evidence collected from the scene of Amber Lynn Jenkins Garcia's 1998 homicide was preserved but did not lead to charges during the original investigation. John Willis Pittman Jr. had been considered a suspect at the time but was not charged for Garcia's death due to insufficient evidence. At the beginning of 2024, Morgan City Police Department detectives reopened the cold case and resubmitted the crime-scene evidence to the Acadiana Criminalistics Lab. Police Chief Chad M. Adams stated that with technological advancement in the field, the results yielded that DNA collected from the scene linked Pittman to the death of Garcia. By the time of the breakthrough, Pittman was already serving a 40-year sentence at hard labor at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, having pleaded guilty in the 16th Judicial District Court to manslaughter in the separate December 25, 1998 killing of Jennifer Vedol. Based on the DNA results, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Pittman on October 30, 2024, charging him with second-degree murder. He was transported to the Morgan City Police Department and booked on November 6, 2024. The solve method here is conventional forensic DNA laboratory analysis, not investigative genetic genealogy; the prosecution remains pending and Pittman has not been convicted of Garcia's murder.
Sources
- Quarter of a Century Old Cold Case Homicide Solved by the Morgan City Police Department Detectives Division
“Amber Lynn Jenkins Garcia's body was discovered on October 8, 1998, behind Youngs Park near a wooded area on Youngs Road.”
- Morgan City officials provide update on 26-year-old cold homicide case
“At the beginning of 2024, investigators resubmitted evidence collected from the scene of Garcia's death to the Acadiana Criminalistics Lab.”
- Man arrested 26 years ago in woman's killing booked by Morgan City Police for separate, earlier killing
“Pittman, still incarcerated at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, was booked on a second-degree murder charge for Garcia's death 26 years later.”
- DNA evidence from cold case connects convicted killer to second victim
“Garcia was found dead near a wooded area behind Youngs Park on Oct. 8, 1998.”
- Morgan City murder from over 25 years ago solved by detectives; suspect already serving time for manslaughter
“John Willis Pittman Jr., then 18, was arrested for Vedol's death and eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 40 years.”
- Cold Case Solved: Suspect Arrested in 1998 Murder of Amber Jenkins Garcia
“Results from the Acadiana Crime Lab identified a suspect, and an arrest warrant was obtained on October 30, 2024.”
- Arrest made in Morgan City cold-case homicide
“With technological advancement in this field, the results yielded that DNA collected from the scene linked Pittman to the death of Garcia.”
- Morgan City Cold Case Breakthrough: Arrest Made After 25 Years
“Investigators submitted additional forensic evidence from Garcia's crime scene to the Acadiana Crime Lab, and DNA evidence linked Pittman Jr. to the death of Garcia.”