Police getting closer to solving 2018 murder of Sydney Garcia-Tovar

FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (FOX19) - Two years after 16-year-old Sydney Garcia-Tovar was shot in Fairfield Township and later died, investigators say they are actively hunting for her killer.

Sydney died in July 2018 after she was hit by gunfire outside of a Fairfield Township apartment complex, according to police. Investigators say she had given a few people a ride there, and a confrontation between other people got heated.

Weapons were fired, police said, and somehow, Sydney, an innocent bystander, was shot.

[RELATED: Family, friends remember 16-year-old killed in Fairfield Twp. one year after her death]

“She was one-of-a-kind, and I’ll forever have a big hole in my heart that can’t be patched ‘cause she’s not there,” Joaquin Garcia-Tovar, Sydney’s brother, said.

Sydney’s mother, Stephanie Garcia-Tovar says the past two years of her life have been unbearable.

“People ask me all the time, Hhow are you so strong?’ And it’s the only option I have,” Stephanie said.

Fairfield Township Police say they are getting closer to solving the case by following up on numerous tips they have received through Crime Stoppers. Investigators said they have interviewed dozens of people, including inmates.

At this point, police believe they know who was involved and say they just need additional evidence to connect the dots and make an arrest.

“I think I would feel a little more at peace, a little more relieved to know that somebody’s not out there free anymore. They can’t do this again,” Joaquin said.

The biggest roadblock that investigators said they are facing is a lack of cooperation. Some of the witnesses, per police, are not willing to talk with them.

That is something that Stephanie says she struggles with too. It has motivated her to offer a cash reward of $5,500.

“I’m a mother in despair, and I’m begging anybody who knows anything to help me help Sydney,” Stephanie said. “She needs justice, finally.”

Police say some of the people refusing to come forward claim to be Sydney’s friends. Both investigators and Sydney’s loved ones are pleading with them to do the right thing and help close the case.

Anyone with information is urged to call Fairfield Township Police at (513) 887-4406 or call Crime Stoppers anonymously at (513) 352-3040.

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