When esteemed surgeon Dr. Eric Garcia was found dead in his Alaska home, police had to consider multiple possibilities, including natural death, suicide and homicide. There were no signs of forced entry, and the doctor showed no signs of trauma.
But as Ketchikan Police took a closer look at the crime scene, clues pointed to something more ominous: an empty pill bottle, a partially burnt charcoal briquette, a deck door propped open with a pillow, a barbecue close by and smells of lighter fluid.
“There were some items there that didn’t really make sense to me,” retired Ketchikan Police Detective Devin Miller recalled.
The investigation into the meaning of these discoveries ultimately led police on a multistate search for answers, a perplexing case featured in a “20/20” episode premiering Sept. 20 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.
Dr. Garcia was one of only two general surgeons in Ketchikan. He was known by family and friends for his kindness, generosity and caring nature.
“Eric was a very compassionate man, and he saw beyond people’s faults,” Saul Garcia, Eric’s brother, said about his sibling. “He helped so many people along the way with medicine or just being friends with people and connecting with them.”
In March 2024, Dr. Garcia was scheduled to attend an annual medical conference in Las Vegas. March 16 was his last day at work before heading off on his trip.
But friends and family began to worry when they couldn’t get in touch with Garcia.
Jordan Joplin, a friend who lived in Washington state, called the Ketchikan Police on March 18 to ask for a welfare check on Garcia after Joplin said he was concerned that he hadn’t heard from the doctor.
Ketchikan Police drove to Garcia’s home, but they said nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
“It looked typical of what somebody does when they go on vacation,” Miller said to ABC News’ Chris Connelly about the welfare check.
Miller said he called the hospital where Garcia worked and was informed that he was away. Miller said he then followed standard protocol, informing dispatch of his findings.
On the morning of March 27, Joplin called Ketchikan Police again. Still concerned that he hadn’t heard from Garcia, Joplin told them that he had just arrived in Ketchikan from Seattle. He said Garcia had given him house keys, and Joplin offered to let authorities in Garcia’s home.
Joplin met police at Garcia’s home and unlocked the front door. After clearing the first floor, police discovered Garcia’s body in a family room on the second floor.
Dawn Hink, Garcia’s assistant and close friend, and Bobby Jackson, another friend of Garcia’s, also arrived at the house that morning and waited outside alongside Joplin.
Police exited the house and broke the devastating news to Garcia’s friends.
“I walked to the opposite side of the house as far away as I could get,” Hink remembered after learning about the discovery. She said she became “physically sick with emotion, sadness and despair at that point” and began “looking for answers.”
Jackson said he went into shock but had a strong feeling that something wasn’t right.
“It went from disbelief to something sinister immediately,” Jackson recalled.
Garcia’s friends knew he owned an extensive collection of gold and silver coins, liquor and watches, with a combined estimated worth in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Jackson, who had helped Garcia move these items into the house, implored police to check that the valuables remained locked in a room under the staircase.
Joplin had a key to the locked room and opened the door for police. Except for some remaining bottles of alcohol, police discovered that the room was empty.
“He’s not just dead, he’s been robbed,” Jackson reflected about that moment.
As they continued to search the property for any clues, police also searched Garcia’s pickup truck, where they found a critical piece of evidence: a shipping receipt that showed that more than 4,000 pounds of items were recently shipped to Washington state. In a shocking twist, the receipt listed the name of Garcia’s friend, Jordan Joplin.
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