In Longmont, Colorado, 34-year-old Rita Gutierrez-Garcia, a devoted mother of three boys, vanished without a trace on March 18, 2018, after a night out celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with family. Known for her strong work ethic and dreams of becoming a paralegal, Rita had gone to local bars to unwind following a recent breakup, promising her family she would return home early.
Surveillance footage captured her last moments in a parking lot, speaking briefly to a man before entering a white pickup truck, after which her phone made a silent 911 call. What began as a missing person case soon turned suspicious, revealing connections to a violent assault months earlier on another woman at the same bars.
Investigators pieced together evidence over the years, leading to the arrest, conviction, and eventual recovery of Rita’s remains in a remote Weld County field. This heartbreaking story of loss and perseverance is explored in depth in the Dateline: Secrets Uncovered episode titled The Devil You Know, which aired on December 3, 2025, on Oxygen.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered: November 2017: A Prior assault sets the stage
A woman named Kaylene went through a horrific experience in Longmont’s bar district four months prior to Rita’s disappearance. She felt confused and queasy after going to an after-party and drinking at local establishments, probably from a drugged drink. Juan Jose Figueroa Jr., a man she had previously met, offered to assist by driving her out of the celebration…