A married couple allegedly hid in Mexico “for months” before they were arrested in the country for their alleged role in the killing of a California school employee.
Following the pair’s arrests on Wednesday, August 19, Antonio Garcia and Misty Gomez have been extradited to California, according to a Saturday, August 22, news release from the Clovis Police Department.
Garcia, 40, of Tulare, and Gomez, 32, of Dinuba are facing homicide-related charges stemming from the deadly December 2025 beating of Geoffrey Bernardi, of Clovis, police said.
An investigation revealed Gomez had been Bernardi’s “girlfriend” while “also married to Garcia,” according to authorities.
Bernardi, 37, died within two days of being physically attacked along a canal in Clovis, located in Fresno County, on December 18, police said.
He had been working for the Clovis Unified School District as a “career technical education teacher” ahead of his death, ABC30 Fresno reported.
Investigators identified Garcia and Gomez as homicide suspects “following evidence located, communications between the two, and follow-up by our detectives,” police said.
Detectives traced them to Mexico with the help of technology, according to police.
Gomez is accused of fleeing the U.S. to Mexico with her two young children, who were considered missing for months in California, according to authorities. Police said the children are now being reunited with other relatives in coordination with Child Protective Services.
While speaking with ABC30 Fresno about Bernardi’s relationship with Gomez following Gomez’s arrest, Bernardi’s mother, Erin Adams, called Gomez a “sociopath.”
“The first time he went out with her, he told me, ‘I met the woman I’m going to marry.'”Adams told ABC30 Fresno. “We didn’t know she was already married.”
Gomez and Garcia were expected to be detained in the Fresno County Jail in connection with Bernardi’s killing.
Bernardi was a “beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin” who was a “family man,” reads his online obituary.
“In recent years, he had found his home and a career doing what he loved with Clovis Unified School District working as AV Design Tech helping run the theater for Clovis Unified productions,” the obituary continues. “He was growing in a job he loved, working with people he loved. He was happy and thriving.”
Bernardi was also an organ donor and “helped save seven lives and impact countless others through tissue donation” following his death, according to his obituary.
A potential motive for the attack on Bernardi was not specified by authorities.
It was not immediately clear whether Garcia or Gomez had retained legal counsel or entered pleas.
