Grand Jury Indicts Suspect Garcia-Torres in Sierra Lamar Case

Antolin Garcia-Torres, the suspect in the kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Morgan Hill resident Sierra Lamar in 2012, was indicted today by a criminal grand jury.

According to the district attorney's office, Garcia-Torres was indicted for Sierra's kidnapping and murder as well as series of violent attacks on South Bay women in 2009.

Nearly two years after Garcia-Torres was arrested and charged, Sierra's father now can point to progress in the case.

"It's been really frustrating," Steven Lamar said. "So yeah, something positive finally."

The charges in the indictment replace previous charges filed by the district attorney's office against Garcia-Torres.

District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement that his office "took this case to the criminal grand jury to expedite the lengthy criminal process, which began almost two years ago."

"Sierra's family, the surviving victims, and our entire community, deserve justice," Rosen said.

NBC Bay Area legal analyst Steven Clark said even though the district attorney got a grand jury indictment, it does not make this a slam-dunk murder case.

"They still have not recovered the body," Clark said. "We don't know any evidence of any crime scene or trauma."

Last week, a Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office dive team returned to a South Bay lake looking for evidence in the case.

MORE: Dive Team Searches South Bay Lake for Sierra Lamar

Sierra was last seen on March 16, 2012 in her Morgan Hill home. She never made it to school and her body has never been found.

Still, the Lamar family is holding on to hope Sierra could still be alive.

"I still stick to that," Steven Lamar said. "That's another thing that keeps us going. It's just having that hope, regardless of what anyone says."

Garcia-Torres will be arraigned Thursday afternoon in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

NBC Bay Area's George Kiriyama and the Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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