Episode 163: Journee McDaniel

Journee McDaniel was a 7-year-old elementary school student from Houston, Texas who loved life. To her family, she was the center of their universe. She was beloved by her two brothers, parents and grandmother. On December 11, 2021, Journee was out celebrating the birthday of one of her brothers. Journee had spent the evening riding on Go Karts and just having fun. After leaving the Go Kart place, Journee left with two cousins. Around 8pm, the vehicle she was riding in was struck in the 13900 block of Cullen Blvd. The driver had gone through a stop sign and struck the vehicle Journee was riding in.



He then left the truck and fled the scene. The owner of the truck claimed someone stole his truck. He denied being the person who killed Journee. She died on December 13, 2022. Today, the man who killed Journee hasn’t been arrested. When the police examined the truck, the airbags had deployed and there was blood evidence left behind by the driver. It would take 6 months for the family to learn that Pedro Vargas Garcia had lied to authorities about his truck being stolen. DNA evidence proved he was the driver.



For this story, I spoke to Myra Minkins, who is Journee's grandmother. Journee’s family believes Garcia fled the country and is now in Mexico. A Have you seen Pedro Vargas Garcia? If you have, please contact law enforcement and turn him in. He does have family ties to Houston so it’s possible he has since returned to Houston. If you know anything about Garcia’s whereabouts, please contact the HPD Hit and Run Unit at 713-247-4072 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. You can also visit the Justice for Journee McDaniel FB for more information about her story.



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