Nearly 3 months after Morongo Valley man’s murder, family says no arrests have been made

MORONGO VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) - It's been nearly 3 months since 50-year-old Chris Garcia of Morongo Valley was killed in what authorities called an 'intentional hit and run,' and the family says no arrests have been made.

News Channel 3 spoke with Garcia's wife just days after her husband's death on November 6, 2025.

She alleges a suspect rear-ended the couple near Highway 62 and when they pulled over to exchange information, a heated exchange unfolded. That's when his wife says he was run over by the suspect and left in the road.

"My husband was walking back to my car, the guy actually put it in reverse and backed up and then floored it and rammed right into my car, the back of my car with my daughter in it still. He then backed up and proceeded to go around my vehicle, which he then struck my husband and drug him under the truck," his wife said.

Now, she claims movement in the case happened just days after the incident, but no arrest was made. It's a process she says her family feels left out of.

"They ended up telling us that a suspect did get a lawyer and step forward four days after the incident, But they didn't tell my husband's sister or I for about a month and a half. They won't release his name now. There were no arrests made. All they did was take a written statement and let him go. He's claiming that it was he felt he was in fear of his life, basically," Garcia said.

Having watched the accident, Garcia says she doesn't believe the self-defense claim.

"The other driver struck him, and you know, ultimately drug him under his truck. So how is that? You know, if I felt in fear of my life, I would turn around and go the opposite way, not towards what I'm saying is dangerous to me," she said.

Since her husband's death, Garcia says it's taken both an emotional and financial toll on her family, especially without answers.

"They took about five weeks to give the car back before I could even go and retrieve my belongings out of it. That was deemed a total loss because they had to take parts out of it. So it's been frustrating. It's been expensive. I mean, my daughter and I emotionally it's been a lot. We had to spend the holidays without him," she said.

News Channel 3 reached out to San Bernardino County Sheriff's for more information but have been told it is an active investigation, and there are no further updates.