Police in Utah have arrested a man accused of terrorizing his pregnant girlfriend’s family for months after they took him in. Dominic Garcia, 23, reportedly moved into their Millcreek home in December 2024 and almost immediately began acting strangely. Nearly six months later, he is facing 28 felony charges related to his time in the family’s home.
According to court documents obtained by People, family members contacted police on May 17, 2025. They reportedly claimed they had Garcia held at gunpoint. A complainant identified as “RS” told police they “weren’t able to take it any longer.”
Family members later told investigators that shortly after Garcia moved in, he claimed he had ties to a Mexican drug cartel and if they didn’t obey him, they would die.
RS told investigators they purchased a gun out of fear. He claimed Garcia “repeatedly told them the cartel would kill them if they did not do what they were told,” People reported. Garcia allegedly told the family at one point that his family “made a bad deal” and forced them to leave their Utah home for more than a month.
A man was arrested after convincing his girlfriend and her family that he was involved with a cartel and that its members were out to kill them, ultimately holding them hostage for six months. He later told police he had made the entire story up. https://t.co/dJMMUN5BuL
— KUTV2news (@KUTV2News) May 18, 2025
Upon their return, a family member identified in court records as “HS” reportedly texted a friend to explain their disappearance. After seeing the text, Garcia allegedly threatened to kill the family “if they stepped out of line,” according to People. He then forced HS into a “boot camp” that included workouts five times daily and torturous ice baths.
It seems Garcia wanted to ensure everyone in the house obeyed and feared him. Per KUTV, family members told police Garcia left the home several times to do “business” and returned covered in blood.
A 17-year-old family named “TS” told investigators she had missed a month of her senior year of high school. She claimed she “was extremely scared and believed her life was in danger.”
Garcia’s pregnant girlfriend, “KS,” alleged that her boyfriend threatened her and the family multiple times and “choked out their pet dogs on occasions when he became upset and had been violent towards her sister, HS,” per People.
The suspect allegedly confessed to carrying a gun and terrorizing the family. He said he “did not know how to stop it in fear that they would not like him.”
Garcia faces 28 charges thus far, including seven counts of aggravated assault, seven counts of aggravated kidnapping, seven counts of threat of violence, and seven counts of hazing involving the use of a dangerous weapon. More charges could be filed. According to KUTV, family members reportedly told police they feared what Garcia might do if a judge released him.
Because of his claims of a relationship with a cartel, he’s been deemed a significant flight risk. According to online records, he is being held in Salt Lake County Jail without bond.
