MILLCREEK, Utah — A man is now in custody after police learned he had been terrorizing a Millcreek family for nearly six months with threats of a “cartel” intending to harm them.
Dominic Garcia, 23, was booked for 28 total offenses, including Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Kidnapping, Threat of Violence, and Hazing Involving the Use of a Dangerous Weapon.
According to court documents, the investigation began when police were called to the family’s home and officers found them holding Garcia at gunpoint. The family member who made the call told them they had been held against their will and “weren’t able to take it any longer.”
Garcia was quickly taken into custody, and detectives began interviewing the family members.
In December, the family allegedly allowed Garcia to move into their home. He then proceeded to tell the family that his own family was part of a business with ties to a cartel, and that in order to stay on the cartel’s good side, they had to do what he said.
Under pretense, one of the adult family members purchased a handgun, which Garcia began carrying around the home, often brandishing it in order to threaten the family.
“Over time, Garcia created an atmosphere of fear and control, falsely creating affiliations with dangerous cartel,” said Unified Police Sgt. Aymee Race. “He claimed his people were watching and any defiance would result in their deaths.”
One day, Garcia told the family that his family had made a bad deal and had to flee the home for a while. This led to them leaving the area for over one month. Upon their return, one of the family members texted a friend to explain where they had gone.
Garcia saw the text and immediately lashed out, later saying he had brought one of the family members “into the company,” adding that he would kill them if they stepped out of line. The threatening behavior escalated from there, with the family telling officers that Garcia would sometimes come home covered in blood, saying it was “due to the business.”
He then proceeded to check family members’ phones and confronted them if he saw any messages that he didn’t like. He also began limiting who could leave the home and for how long, repeatedly saying there were people outside the home coming to harm them.
Over the course of the ordeal, one of the family members was subjected to a “boot camp,” which entailed five workouts a day “at all hours of the day,” plus ice baths and being forced to hold their face underwater, often to the point of not being able to breathe.
After being informed of his Miranda rights, Garcia admitted that the claims of cartel involvement were all a lie, and that he “did not know how to stop it in fear that they would not like him.” He also admitted to carrying the gun and putting the relative through the boot camp.
Garcia is currently being held without bail.
The Unified Police Department held a press conference Monday. When asked about possible reasons why the family didn’t contact police sooner, Sgt. Race explained that coercion is something that looks different in every case, and this one was involving a suspect who was a trusted friend of the family.
She said Garcia started dating one of the adult victims in November 2024. He moved in with the family about two months later. But as far as how it all took a turn, police say they expect those details to come forward as their investigation continues.
“There have been initial interviews, but one of the things we always keep in mind is when these victims are ready to be interviewed, then we interview them,” Race said. “Of course, the public, we all want to know these answers, but our first priority is to make sure these victims feel comfortable and are ready to talk.”
