The family of Eric Garvin are pleading for answers.
According to ABC 7 New York, the 38-year-old Staten Island attorney was killed earlier this month while vacationing in Santiago, Chile. Garvin’s family says he was last seen alive on Jan. 14, just a day before he and his traveling partner were scheduled to go to Argentina. Garvin’s companion reported him missing to the Santiago Police Department and the U.S. Embassy Santiago on Jan. 15, after realizing the attorney had failed to check out of his room. SILive reports Garvin’s personal belongings—including his passport and wallet—were also find inside his Airbnb rental.
Less than a week after Garvin was reported missing, his family learned he had been fatally shot in the Chilean capital.
“What they told us is my son was innocently walking down the street, he paused for a moment, he took a snapshot of a building in a drug-infested area,” Garvin told ABC 7. “And immediately following that, three gentlemen came across the street, grabbed my son and stole his phone and shot him three times and he died there on the scene.”
Authorities say the University of Maryland graduate was alone at the time of the attack. They have yet to make any arrests in connection to Garvin’s death. However, his father and sister, Naomi, have since traveled to the country and are now working with investigators in an attempt to find justice.
“My condolences are with the family and friends of Eric Garvin,” U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said in a statement to SILive.com. “Eric worked in public service and this is a gut-wrenching tragedy for all who knew him. I will remain in contact with the family and with the United States State Department to pursue justice and to provide comfort and support to the Garvin family.”
