The woman's daughter discovered her body around 8:55 a.m. at the home in the 10300 block of Key West Street.
Detectives say she was murdered, but have little information on who killed the 65-year-old retired school teacher.
"She was very kind and very helpful," Neighbor Gary Carreon said.
"Everyone is kind of shocked. This is a real quiet neighborhood," Neighbor Tommy Chin said. "I've been here for 29 years and this is the first time anything like this has really happened."
Investigators say when several calls went unanswered, her daughter went to the home to check on her mother and found her in the kitchen. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
People in the Temple City neighborhood where Garcia was a long-time resident and also owned a rental property are trying to go on with life but are haunted by the murder. What happened? Who did it?
"The suddenness and the randomness really took me and my family by surprise because, as I said, nothing like this ever happens in our neighborhood and no one really has any vendetta," Neighbor Jaymin Villaluz said.
Investigators are hoping the public will provide crucial information to help them solve the crime.
"The general public sometimes sees things that, you know, we don't. Sometimes they happen to be around the area when it occurs, or they hear something about it," L.A. County Sheriff's Department Deputy Guillermina Saldana said. "We will take any information, because what seems unimportant to someone may be very important in the investigation, and we really want to find out who committed this crime."
In the meantime, Temple City residents say their sense of security has been shattered. Some neighbors have begun taking shifts watching over the block.
"If anything, the neighborhood might come closer together and try to help in any future violence and prevent it from happening," Villaluz said.
Anyone with information regarding the murder was asked to contact Sgt. K Clark or Sgt. Fredendall at Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.
If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call CRIME STOPPERS at (800) 222-8477.
