Body of second missing man found in Burlington County
Juan Garcia, 58, and Joseph Brockington, 56, went missing from a Catholic Charities group home in November.
The body of a second man who went missing from a Burlington County group home in November has been found in a nearby park, authorities said Friday.
Juan Garcia’s body was discovered Thursday in Smithville Park, where the body of Joseph Brockington, 56, was found in February. Garcia, 58, was identified on Friday by Burlington County Medical Examiner Ian Hood, who ruled that his death was accidental due to hypothermia. Brockington died in the same way, Hood reported.
Garcia and Brockington were reported missing on Nov. 1 from the Catholic Charities group home on West Railroad Avenue in Eastampton Township.
The state-funded group home helps “adults with serious mental illness (SMI) to live independently in the community," Dana DiFilippo, a spokesperson for Catholic Charities in Trenton, said in February. The residents are free to leave at any time, she said.
However, because both men required daily medication, Catholic Charities immediately alerted authorities when they did not return that night, DiFilippo said.
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said in a statement Friday that the bodies of both men were found through extensive searches involving hundreds of law-enforcement personnel.
“Sadly, our worst fears after locating Mr. Brockington have now been realized,” Coffina said. “Our deepest sympathies go out to Mr. Garcia’s family and friends.”