More than three decades ago, a convicted murderer was arrested and charged with murder in the 1988 cold case of 9-year-old Michelle Garrett, who disappeared from a supermarket in Hayward, California.
David Mis has been charged with murder and two special offenses, including murder during a kidnapping and a premeditated murder, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley announced at a news conference Monday.
According to the FBI, Michelle Garrett was abducted on November 19, 1988, from Hachard’s Rainbow Market parking lot. The case was featured in Dateline’s “Cold Case Spotlight” in November 2014.
Announcing the arrests at Monday’s press conference, Hayward Police Chief Tony Chaplin said, “Today is about family, community and healing.”
He called the case a “tragic story that has gripped the Gulf region for decades.”
For more than 32 years, Michelle had not been seen or heard from, and her body was never found.
The Hayward Police Department, the Almeida County District Attorney’s Office, and the FBI worked tirelessly on the case, saying it was a partial palm print of a mission found on a scooter at the scene that tied it to Michelle’s missing. They said there has been success earlier this year.
“The kidnapping and killing of a child is horrible. The suffering of family and friends is indescribable, especially when their child is not. The crime shocked not only the local community, but the entire Gulf region and the nation, “said D.A. Omli said. “I hope that even after 32 years of this heinous crime, today’s action and announcement will give Michela’s family some relief knowing that she will get justice.”
According to officials, Michelle and her friend were shamelessly abducted on the morning of November 19, 1988, after driving a scooter at Rainbow Grocery on Headward’s Mission Boulevard. They got out of the scooter when they went inside to buy snacks. One of the scooters was moved to the car when they came out. The FBI believes Michelle was snatched by the driver when she went to fetch the scooter.
D.A. “The crime shocked not only the local community of Hayward and Alemada County, but the entire Bay Area and the nation,” O’Malley said. It was very ruthless, ruthless but clearly planned. “
Mish is currently facing charges of killing two women in Fremont in 1986 in Alameda County and is currently serving time in a state jail for the 1989 murder of another woman in the Hayward area.
The mission is set to launch on Tuesday, December 22nd.
“We hope this announcement will bring Michela’s family closer to peace for so many years,” Chappell said. Chaplin ended Monday’s press conference by reading Michelle’s mother’s statement:
“Last year, I had to admit that Michelle was no longer alive. The sign says that somehow, acceptance was very wrapped up in the idea of switching fluffy, pink clouds, sitting on golden streets, dancing on grassy hills, bouncing among the stars. “The one I never imagined was my daughter like a dead child. It was only when I heard this news that this vision of reality appeared and I honestly did not understand what to do with it. ”
Michelle’s mother said she was “lost in the dark” but “there is joy or answers.”
