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Have you seen them?

7/2/2024

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Maria Gomez-Perez
Gainesville, GA

UPDATE (July 25, 2024)
12 year old Maria Gomez-Perez, whose disappearance in May galvanized a Georgia community, was found 600 miles away in Dover, Ohio, with a 34 year old man she met online, law enforcement officials announced Thursday.
According to the Hall County Sheriff's Office, the break in the case came last week when Maria's father, Andres Gomez, received a direct message from a new Facebook account belonging to Maria. She allegedly stated she was OK and asked her father to stop looking for her. Gomez notified authorities, who tracked the IP address to a phone number associated to a home in Dover, a town of about 13,000 people in Northeast Ohio.
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said Maria communicated via social media with Antonio Agustin, a Guatemalan national, and other older men and expressed unhappiness and a desire to leave home. Investigators believe Agustin drove to Maria's house in Gainesville, 50 miles north of Atlanta, on May 29, picked her up, and drove back to Dover. 
​At the time, authorities faced criticism for not issuing an Amber Alert, stating Maria's disappearance didn't meet the criteria.
​This week, investigators traveled to Dover and spotted Maria at a community swimming pool. They later took Agustin into custody and recovered the 12-year-old, according to HCSO.
​Agustin is facing a rape charge in Tuscarawas County and is also facing criminal charges in Georgia.
Couch said what happened to Maria is an example of the danger children face online and urged parents to be vigilant about who their kids are communicating with on social media. ​

"Let me be very clear on this: Maria is the victim in this case," Couch said. "Remember, she's 12 years old."

What happened to Maria Gomez-Perez?

Maria Gomez-Perez, 12, seemingly vanished without a trace from her home in Gainesville, GA, about 50 miles north of Atlanta, on May 29, 2024.
Andres Gomez, a single father from Guatemala and his daughter Maria came to the U.S. several years ago and settled in Gainesville. He told reporters he left for work early on May 29, and that his daughter, brother, and a young boy who lives with them stayed behind. The boy was reportedly the last to see Maria standing in the driveway around 10 a.m.
According to the local Univision station, the boy told Gomez that Maria was on her phone and changed her clothes before leaving. Gomez said his brother didn't realize Maria had left.
Maria, a student at Lyman Elementary, wasn't reported missing until the next day. According to local media reports, when Gomez returned home from work he asked if anyone had seen Maria, and looked for her on his own before contacting the Hall County Sheriff's Office. Maria's disappearance didn't meet the criteria for an Amber Alert, and as often happens with missing juveniles, authorities automatically assumed Maria had run away. 
Community-led searches over the last few weeks have turned up empty. The HCSO says they've received dozens of tips of possible sightings of Maria in Texas, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida, Illinois, and Alabama. Local businesses are offering a combined $50,000 reward for information that leads to Maria's whereabouts.
Maria is 5'3, weighs 100-110 pounds, and has long black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a bright blue shirt. According to media reports, the Guatemalan consulate office in Atlanta has been unable to contact Maria's mother. HCSO is not dismissing the possibility that Maria may be in Guatemala.
Anyone with information should call the HCSO Special Investigation Unit tip line at 770-503-3232 or by email at [email protected].

Brigyth Odalis Chisaguano
Philadelphia, PA

16-year-old Brigyth Odalis Chisaguano disappeared in Philadelphia, PA on June 1, 2024.
According to information from the Philadelphia Police 25th District, Brigyth was last seen at around noon on the 600 block of W. Bristol Street, a residential neighborhood.

​This is the type of missing person case that is frustrating given that few details are available from the police, and an online search of media coverage turned up zero results. There is no information on Brigyth's family, what school she attends, or the circumstances of her disappearance. There are no updates available from the Philadelphia Police, but she is still listed as "missing" on their website.
Brigyth is 4’9 and 120 lb. She has brown eyes, black hair, and was last seen wearing a blue shirt, red pants and red/white shoes.
Anyone with any information on Brigyth’s whereabouts is asked to contact East Detectives at 215-686-3243.

Tabitha Queen
Bastrop, LA

29-year-old Tabitha Queen, mother of three, was last seen on surveillance video at a supermarket near her home in Bastrop, LA, on May 10, 2021.
According to local media reports, Tabitha left her three children home alone while she made a quick trip to the store. Surveillance video from a Save-U-More grocery shows Tabitha at the checkout register before exiting the store carrying several bags. 
What happened to Tabitha after leaving the store is still a mystery. Her mother, Mary Lunford, lives in San Antonio, Texas. She told reporters Tabitha called her on Monday, May 10 to wish her a belated happy Mother's Day. During the call, Lunford says she heard two men in the background and asked Tabitha who she was talking to. Tabitha replied, "Uh, mom, I got to go," and hung up. Lunford said she called her back, but it went straight to voicemail.
Lunford reported her daughter missing the next day. On May 12, police found Tabitha's car abandoned on West Pine Street in Bastrop. Surveillance video from a nearby business shows a black man parking the vehicle and walking away.
​According to local media reports, Tabitha's 11-year-old daughter told investigators that she saw her mother arguing with a man she had loaned her car to a few days before she disappeared.
Bastrop Police say they have a person of interest in the case but no suspects.
​Tabitha was last seen wearing pink pants and a cartoon character jacket. She is 5'4 and at the time weighed 230 lb. 
Anyone with information on Tabitha Queen’s disappearance should call Bastrop Police at 318-281-1322 or North Delta Regional Crime Stoppers at 318-388-2274.

Kierra Coles
Chicago, IL

​26-year-old Kierra Coles, a U.S. Postal worker in Chicago, was three months pregnant when she vanished on Oct. 2, 2018.
Kierra's mother, Karen Phillips, told local media she reported her daughter missing on Oct. 4.
​Thanks to surveillance video from multiple locations, detectives pieced together a timeline of Kierra's final moments before she disappeared, and they now need the public's help to find the missing piece that will help them solve this case.
​One video shows Kierra carrying groceries to her apartment on the 8100 Block of South Vernon and a man they call a person of interest, arriving shortly after. Hours later, a separate video shows Kierra and the man driving off in her car with the expectant mother behind the wheel, according to Chicago police.
​Surveillance video from a Walgreens on 8600 S Cottage Grove shows Coles withdrawing money from an ATM at approximately 10:43 pm, the last known images of Kierra, according to investigators.
Kierra Coles made two ATM withdrawals the night she disappeared.
An hour later, detectives say surveillance video shows Kierra's car arriving at a different part of the city and the man exiting the passenger side at 11:45 pm. No one exits the driver's side. The man gets into his own car and drives off. ​Detectives say the same man drove Kierra's car back to her apartment the next day and walked out with some unknown items before driving away in his car that was parked on another street.
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Courtesy: Chicago PD
​According to local media reports, although police have not publicly named the person of interest, Kierra's family identified him as Josh Simmons, Kierra's boyfriend at the time and the alleged father of her unborn child.
​Phillips told local media, Simmons was with her as police searched Kierra's apartment on Oct. 4. Detectives said he gave conflicting information and has since stopped cooperating with the investigation.
Kierra Cole is still considered a missing person. Anyone with information should contact Chicago Police at 833-408-0069 or 312-746-7330 or online at CPDtip.com. You can watch Chicago PD's coverage of this case here.

Monique Rivera and Andre Bryant
Brooklyn, NY

Monique Rivera was a loving mother of three boys. 
The 22-year-old and her partner, Timothy Bryant, lived with their children in Brooklyn, NY. ​
At about 2 p.m. on the afternoon of March 29, 1989, Monique went shopping with two female acquaintances who convinced her to bring six-week-old Andre along. Monique left her other sons, ages 4 and 7, in the care of her sister. She left, got into a burgundy Pontiac Grand Am with Maryland plates, and never returned.
​The next day, a jogger found Monique's body at the bottom of a wooded embankment in the Bronx. She had been struck in the head and strangled with a scarf. Baby Andre was nowhere to be found.
​Authorities believe the two females targeted Monique for her baby. Some news reports say Monique may have known one of the women from middle school, but no one truly knows. According to local news reports, while Monique was out for a walk with her boys the day before, on March 28, the two women drove up to her, got out of the car, and started a conversation. Both reportedly showed great interest in Andre. The women took Monique and the kids to McDonald's and then shopping for clothes.
At the time, the suspects were described as a black woman in her mid-30s and possibly a black or Hispanic woman with red hair between 22-25 years old. The latter is who Monique may have known from school.  
​There's a chance that Andre is still alive and unaware of his true identity. He would be 35 years old now.
​Anyone with information on this case should contact the New York Police Department at 212-694-7781 or 1-800-THE-LOST.

Dulce Ramos
​Lakewood Township, NJ

14-year-old Dulce Ramos, a resident of Lakewood Township, NJ, mysteriously vanished on Aug. 18, 2008. 
This is another case where minimal information is available. Dulce was last seen at her home, but nothing is known about the events leading to her disappearance. Her case did not receive media coverage, and is not featured on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children website. However, Dulce is still listed as missing on the NJSP website.
Dulce was 5'2 and 125 lb. at the time of her disappearance. She has black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information on Dulce Ramos can call the New Jersey State Police, Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, extension x2554. ​
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Have you seen them?

5/1/2024

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Lucero Sarabia Reeves
San Antonio, Texas

Click on the video below for an exclusive interview with Lucero's sister.
Lucero Sarabia Reeves, affectionately called 'Princess' by her family, was the mother of two young boys and eight months pregnant with her third child. She vanished after leaving a Thanksgiving gathering in San Antonio, Texas, on Nov. 26, 2004.
At the time, Lucero had just separated from her husband and moved in with her mother, Juanita Trevino, and sister, Amanda, along with her two sons.
According to her family, Lucero was excited to cook Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. She spent the day bonding with her loved ones. Later that evening, Amanda, then 16, invited Lucero to a gathering at her boyfriend's place. Lucero dropped her mother off at work and headed to the party. After picking her mother up at 10 p.m., Lucero wanted to return to the gathering and convinced Juanita to drop her off. At around 1:30 a.m., the mother and daughter had their final conversation, with Lucero assuring Juanita that she would get a ride home from an acquaintance at the party.
Click on the video below for an exclusive interview with Lucero's sister.

​The acquaintance is a man by the name of Richard Chabes. According to Lucero's family, Chabes, then 29, stated that he stopped at his apartment and that Lucero decided to walk home from there. ​
​After dozens of calls to Lucero's phone went unanswered, Juanita contacted the San Antonio Police but says they told her they couldn't do anything until Lucero had been missing for 48 hours. Desperate for answers, the family initiated their own search. Juanita went to the apartment to confront Chabes regarding her daughter's whereabouts. He claimed that Lucero was upset about an argument she had with another woman at the party and that she opted to walk home. ​
​Two days after Lucero disappeared, Chabes moved out. Investigators searched the apartment and found Lucero's blood on the wall and carpet. However, the evidence was not enough to arrest Chabes, according to local media reports.
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The picture on the left was taken on Nov. 25, 2004, a day before Lucero Sarabia Reeves disappeared.

​It wasn't until a year later that investigators located Chabes in Indiana, where he was serving a sentence for an unrelated offense. San Antonio Police questioned Chabes about Lucero's disappearance. He allegedly claimed that a woman at the party hit Lucero, causing her nose to bleed. However, it's not clear why Chabes stopped at his apartment instead of driving Lucero home or how long Lucero was there before allegedly walking home.
San Antonio police questioned several people, among them Lucero's ex-husband and others who were at the party. Per sources, Lucero's phone records show calls to her ex-husband and also to the alleged father of her unborn child around the time she disappeared. The latter is currently serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder of a 16-year-old boy.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Lucero Sarabia Reeves should call the San Antonio Police Department's Missing Persons Unit at 210-207-7660 or CRIME STOPPERS at 210-224-STOP.

Jacqueline Vasquez
​Avondale, AZ

3-month-old Jacqueline Vasquez was kidnapped at a swap meet in Avondale, Arizona, on the morning of May 6, 2001.
According to investigators, Olivia Castaneda, then 18, arrived at the crowded swap meet with her daughters Jacqueline and two-year-old Niely just before noon. Before meeting up with her mom at her booth, Castaneda took Niely to use a portable restroom, but because the stall was too small, Castaneda left Jacqueline outside in her baby carrier. When she exited the stall, Jacqueline was gone.
At first, Olivia thought maybe her mother had picked up Jacqueline, but she panicked when she saw her sitting alone at the booth. The mother and daughter did their own search before calling 911.
Avondale Police sealed off the swap meet and searched all vehicles, but to no avail. Witnesses told investigators they noticed a woman loitering around the porta-potties. Police released two composite sketches of the person of interest, but the case remains open.
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Composite sketch of the person of interest in the kidnapping of Jacqueline Vasquez. The right image is age progressed.
It's possible that Jacqueline was kidnapped by someone desperate for a baby. There's a good chance that she is still alive and unaware of her true identity. Jacqueline has a heart-shaped birthmark on her upper right arm. If you have information about this case, contact Avondale Police Department at 623-333-7001

Sofia Lucerno Juarez
​Kennewick, WA

Sofia Juarez vanished on the evening of Feb. 4, 2003, a day before her fifth birthday. Her case involved the first use of an Amber Alert in the state of Washington.
According to initial reports, Sofia, her mother, and other relatives were at their Kennewick, WA., home when the four-year-old somehow managed to exit the property without anyone noticing. The family thought that perhaps Sofia had followed her grandmother's partner, who also lived at the house and had gone to a convenience store earlier in the evening, but he told the family that he never saw Sofia. Fearing the worst, the girl's mother called 911. 
​Based on information from a witness, investigators believe Sofia was kidnapped as she walked westbound in the 100 block of E. 15th Avenue, just a short distance from the family's home. The witness learned about Sofia's disappearance on the news and contacted the police claiming to have seen a little girl matching Sofia's description being led away by a Hispanic boy between 11-14 years old. The witness told investigators that the girl was crying while the teen laughed as he walked her near an occupied van parked on the next street.
​Although investigators had the witness information since 2003, they didn't release the details about the possible suspect or vehicle to the public until 2021. Sadly, Sofia's mother died of natural causes in 2009 and without ever knowing what happened to her daughter. The family believes she died of a broken heart.
In regards to a viral TikTok video by creator Aka y Alla who interviewed a 23-year-old woman in Culiacan, Mexico, whom many suspected looked like a grown Sofia, police say DNA test results rule her out. 
The van was described as a light blue or gray 1970s or early 1980s full-sized panel type van with no side windows. The teen boy would now be between 29-32 years old. If you have information about Sofia, call Kennewick Police Department special investigator Al Wehner at 509-582-1331 or 1-509-585-4208.

Suzanne "Suzie" Escobedo
Seadrift, Texas

Suzie Escobedo lived with her husband Cris Escobedo and their four-month-old child in a trailer home near  Seadrift, in Calhoun County, Texas. That is where the 25-year-old was last seen on August 2, 2018.
According to published reports, Cris Escobedo reported Suzie missing that evening. He told investigators and her family that when he got home from work around 7 p.m., his four-month-old daughter was there, but Suzie was nowhere to be found. According to investigators, her phone, purse and vehicle were left behind. A widespread search for the mother of two turned up empty. Suzie's family doesn't believe she ran away. 
Suzie's sister went to the couple's trailer that evening and noticed there was blood on the carpet in their bedroom. The family believes that something happened to Suzie in the home. They share details about the case in a video titled Unidos por Suzie or United for Suzie.  The Texas Rangers and Calhoun Sheriff's Department suspect foul play but have not named any person of interest in Suzie's disappearance.
In May 2021, Suzie's family suffered another tragedy when her 21-year-old brother passed away. The family says he became depressed and anxious when Suzie vanished.
In an effort to keep the case in the public eye, Suzie's family has set up a GofundMe account to raise money to pay for missing posters, t-shirts, billboards and a reward. 
If you have information about the disappearance of Suzie Escobedo, contact Calhoun County Sheriff's Office at 1-361-553-4646 

Reina Carolina Morales Rojas
​Boston, MA

Reina Carolina Rojas migrated to Boston from El Salvador in May of 2022. Six months later, on the evening of November 26, Reina mysteriously vanished after leaving her apartment in East Boston. 
The 41-year-old mother of two and former police officer in El Salvador, is seen on surveillance video exiting her building and standing on the sidewalk talking on the phone. According to Boston police, Reina was picked-up by a car service and dropped off five miles away near 7 Alston St. in Somerville. It's not clear why she went there, but she hasn't been heard from ever since.
Alicia Morales, Reina's sister in El Salvador, knew something was wrong when her calls to Reina's phone on November 27 went straight to voice mail. She contacted the building's landlord, Francisco Magana. He filed a missing person report on November 28, but investigators didn't issue a public notice about Reina's disappearance until January 12, 2023. Since Boston PD has acknowledged the 
According to the FBI, Reina had two cell phones which were turned off just after midnight on November 27, 2022. Reina was last seen wearing black leggings, a black top, a gray hooded sweater and dark-colored sandals or slides. Reina likes to wear wigs.
If you have information on the disappearance of Reina Rojas, contact Det. Michael Byrnes, Boston PD at 1-857-274-4300 or FBI VICAP, 1-800-634-4097

Franchesca "Cheka" Alvarado
​Philadelphia, PA

Franchesca "Cheka" Alvarado was a 22-year-old single mom living in Philadelphia. She was last seen outside the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ, on March 17, 2012. 
That day, Franchesca secured a babysitter and went to Atlantic City with an older male, an acquaintance named Tracy Williams, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Williams returned to Philadelphia the next day, but Franchesca did not. Franchesca's sister, Francis, went to her apartment and spoke with her roomate, who reportedly stated that Franchesca was away and would return in two weeks. At that point the family knew something was wrong. 
They filed a missing person's report, and when investigators asked Williams what happened, he reportedly stated that Franchesca told him she would find her own way home, and that he never saw her after that. It would be 18 long months before a break in the case. In August 2013, a fisherman found a foot inside an Adida's high-top sneaker 26 miles away in Corson's Inlet State Park in Ocean City, NJ. When the Alvarado siblings saw the sneaker on the news, they knew it belonged to their baby sister. Months later, Franchesca's femur and tibia also washed ashore. 
​Although Franchesca is confirmed dead, what happened to her remains a mystery.​ There's no official cause of death. Both Williams and the roommate have been questioned. As of 2023, there are no updates and no suspects. Her family laid her partial remains to rest. Franchesca's daughter is now 14-years-old. 
If you know what happened to Franchesca Alvarado, contact New Jersey State Police at 609-882-2000 ext. 3353

Pauline Diaz
San Antonio, Texas

Pauline Diaz, 63, was last seen leaving the HEB grocery store where she worked in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 7, 2010.
Surveillance video shows Pauline walking out of the store and briefly speaking to a female before driving away. She has not been seen or heard from since. According to investigators, Pauline was going to the home of her estranged husband, Pedro "Pete" Ruiz, to pick a up a lawn mower. Her truck was found abandoned along Highway 181, just down the street from his home. Ruiz acknowledged seeing Pauline that day but not much else.
From the start, investigators focused on Ruiz. According to published reports, Pauline was preparing to file for divorce, and her loved ones suspect this may have triggered Ruiz. Even though a search of his home turned up no results, Ruiz remains the only person of interest in Pauline Diaz's disappearance.
If you have information on Pauline's disappearance, contact Bexar County Criminal Investigations Division at: 210-335-6070.

Liliana and Daniella Moreno
​Doral, FL

Liliana Moreno, 41, and her daughter Daniella, 8, vanished in Doral, Florida, on May 30, 2016.
The mother and daughter were last seen near a Home Depot on Okeechobee Road in Hialeah. Gustavo Castano, Liliana's ex and Daniela's father, is a person of interest in the case. According to investigators, Castano allegedly went to pick them up. He stated that he got into an argument with Moreno but insisted that he dropped the mother and daughter off on Turnpike Avenue.
Although investigators have questioned Castano, they don't have enough information to make an arrest.
The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to their whereabouts. If you can help, call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 305-471-TIPS or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Karla Rodriguez
​Las Vegas, NV

Karla Rodriguez, 7, vanished after leaving a neighbor's yard located a block from her family's home in Las Vegas, NV, on Oct. 20, 1999.
According to published reports, Karla began making her way home around 7 p.m., after her friend's father told her it was too late for a 7-year-old to be playing outside. 
Karla's father, Ramon Rodriguez, arrived home from work around 5 p.m. He left again to drop off the family's car with Karla's mother Elia Zepeda and rode the bus home. He returned around 10 p.m. and noticed Karla and her bike were not there. He talked to the neighbor who last saw Karla and assumed she was staying at a friend's house. Rodriguez then went to bed. The next morning, Zepeda, went to Karla's school to see if she was there. The principal called 911 after realizing the little girl was indeed missing.
Investigators found Karla's bike near the neighbor's home. Bloodhounds traced her scent to an apartment complex on the 1700 block of Santa Paula Drive, near Oakey and Las Vegas Boulevards, about a half-mile from her home. According to a cold-case detective, no items of evidence or value were ever recovered from the complex. 
Karla has a medical scar on her abdomen, a small mole above her right eyebrow and spoke limited English.
If you have information about Karla’s disappearance, call the Las Vegas FBI office at 702-385-1281 or Metro homicide detectives at 702-828-3521. Anonymous tips may be left with Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555. There's a $5000 reward available for anyone with information that leads to a resolution of the case.
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Justice for Akia Eggleston and her unborn son

10/25/2023

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Six years. That's how long the family of Akia Eggleston waited for justice. While the legal battle is over, and the Baltimore man convicted of murdering the young mother and her unborn son will spend the rest of his life in prison, for her loved ones the court victory is bittersweet.
Investigators never found Akia's body, leaving her loved ones in limbo and unable to say goodbye.
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Akia Eggleston vanished on May 3, 2017.

​​​I've covered Akia's case since 2017. Sadly, it's one of many stories of young, pregnant women who disappear only to be met with a tragic ending. More often than not, investigators know who's responsible, but it's not what they know. It's what they can prove. Murder cases without a body can be difficult to bring to trial but not impossible. 
In July, a jury convicted Robertson of two counts of first-degree murder for killing the pregnant mom in 2017. On Wednesday, a judge sentenced Robertson to two consecutive life terms with the possibility of parole. The 42-year-old maintains his innocence and refuses to disclose what he did with the remains of his ex-girlfriend and their unborn son. 
Akia's stepfather, Shawn Wilkinson, told me via a text message he's grateful Robertson didn't get away with murder.
"We are thankful that they were able to charge him, try him, and finally convict him!"
​Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates also released a statement on the sentence:
“This sentence ensures that Michael Robertson will no longer be a threat to the safety of others and will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the egregious violence he inflicted upon Akia Eggleston and her unborn child. My prayers are with Ms. Eggleston’s family, who had to wait such a long time to see justice done. It was the vigilance of our Homicide Division, ASA Kurt Bjorklund, the Baltimore Police Department, and our partners in law enforcement, including Missing Persons and the FBI, that made this conviction possible. My gratitude is with them for ensuring that this defendant was held accountable.”
​​


​May 3, 2017

​Akia, 22, was eight months pregnant when she disappeared on May 3, 2017, four days before her baby shower. According to prosecutors, Robertson told the young mother he wanted to move in together and convinced Akia to withdraw money from her account for a down payment on a house. But Robertson was already in a relationship with another woman who had just given birth to the couple's second child. According to a statement of probable cause, prosecutors believe Robertson killed Akia and, based on his Google searches, disposed of her body in a landfill. Not long after, Robertson moved to Michigan. 
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Convicted killer Michael Robertson

​Because there was no DNA, prosecutors had to build the case with circumstantial evidence, including phone records, bank statements, telephone records, interviews, and social media messages. U.S. Marshals arrested Robertson in Michigan, in February 2022.

Three generations gone

Although the legal case is over, life will never be the same for Akia's family. She left behind a daughter who is now eight years old. She will want to know what happened to her mother and brother. Akia's siblings will never see their eldest sister again, and were robbed of the opportunity to meet their nephew. For the maternal grandparents and aunts, it's another tragic, untimely loss. Akia's mother died of cancer in 2012. Three generations gone.
Robertson gets to live. He'll get three meals daily and have a roof over his head. He'll get to see his family if they choose to visit him. He'll get to stay in touch with his children IF they and their mothers want to. Let's not forget his children are also victims of their father's actions. They'll have to live with the stigma of his crimes. 
Robertson had a chance to come clean. He could've said what he did with Akia and her baby's remains. The least Robertson should've done was allow the family to give them a proper goodbye. Instead, Robertson cowardly kept that information to himself. ​Perhaps he was betting on that old phrase, "Nobody, no crime."
While Akia's family, stepparents, friends and everyone who loved her will forever carry the heartache and pain, they'll hopefully find solace in knowing that Robertson will spend the rest of his days locked up.
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When it comes to the number of missing Latinos in the U.S., the data doesn't tell the whole story

10/24/2023

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Over the last few years, public outcry has drawn national attention to the plight of missing Black people in the U.S. and the lack of media attention to those cases. According to data from the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Black people are disproportionately represented among missing persons. The latest Census shows that Blacks make up roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population but represent a staggering 35 percent of the people reported missing in 2022, according to published reports. The numbers are especially concerning when it comes to black women and girls, and some experts fear the same could be true within the Latino community.
Every year, the NCIC tracks the number of people reported missing across the country. 
In 2022, 546,568 people were reported missing in the United States. By the end of 2022, 97,127 of those cases remained active, according to NCIC. How many are Latinos is unknown. According to recent reporting by PBS, local and national law enforcement agencies don't always gather data on missing Latinos the same way they do for Blacks and Whites. That's because the NCIC's numbers combine Latinos and Whites. 
For example, law enforcement agencies enter a missing person's information into the NCIC database by age, gender, and race. The latter includes Black, Asian, Indian, White, and Unknown. There's no specific category for Hispanic because it is only listed as an ethnicity, making it optional for police to include, according to PBS's reporting. 
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National Crime Information Center data on missing persons for 2022 (White includes Hispanics)
Why does this matter? Because it ignores an entire demographic and makes it difficult to address the issue of missing persons within the Latino community. Without concrete data, Latinos are more likely to get overlooked when it comes to news coverage. As it is, cases involving black and brown people are less likely to receive media attention. The phenomenon of "White Woman Syndrome," comes to mind. The phrase coined by the late journalist Gwen Ifill refers to the media's obsession with and detailed coverage of missing white women and girls and a lack of interest in covering missing persons of other demographics.
Furthermore, language barriers and immigration status can make it difficult for families to navigate the media and law enforcement agencies. And because people of color are often classified as runaways or because it's not a crime to voluntarily disappear if the person is an adult, law enforcement may delay notifying the public about a missing person.
Such is the case of Reina Carolina Morales Rojas, a Honduran immigrant whose concerned family and landlord reported her missing to the Boston Police Department on Nov. 28, 2022. Even though Boston PD launched an investigation, it took them six weeks to notify the public about her disappearance. Compare that to the disappearance of Ana Walshe, a white mother of three from the nearby wealthy Boston suburb of Cohasset, whose employer reported her missing on Jan. 4, 2023. According to published reports, Cohasset Police went public with Walshe's disappearance the next day, sparking national media coverage. ​
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Reina Carolina Morales Rojas vanished in Boston on November 28. 2022.
Within days, Welsh's husband was arrested and is accused of killing the 39-year-old mother, even though her body has not been found. Rojas is still missing, and there are no updates on her case. You can learn more about Rojas by visiting our missing persons gallery.
The bottom line is this: Without accurate data, it is challenging to address the issue of missing Latinos in the community. It's imperative that we continue to raise awareness about the disparities in news coverage of people of color and continue to push for better collecting of data on missing Latinos by law enforcement and other criminal justice organizations that track such information. At the very least, we can all make a difference by sharing fliers of missing people in communities of color.
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An anniversary no parent should ever have to face

9/16/2023

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It's been four years since Dulce Maria Alavez was kidnapped in broad daylight while playing in Bridgeton City Park in New Jersey.
​To coincide with the fourth anniversary of Dulce's disappearance, the National Center for Missing an Exploited Children released a new age-progression rendering of how she might look now as a 9-year-old. 
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​Age progressed image of Dulce Maria Alavez. Credit: National Center for Missing an Exploited Children.

​In a joint statement, the Cumberland County Prosecutor's office and Bridgeton Police Department shared a sketch of the person of interest in the case and said: 
"In the absence of evidence pointing towards Dulce's demise, investigators hold out hope that Dulce is still alive." 


​September 16, 2019

​It was just after 4 p.m., Sept. 16, 2019. Dulce, then 5, and her little brother Manny were near the swings while their mother, Noema Alavez, sat in her car with her younger sister.
​Within minutes, Dulce was gone. A frantic Alavez ran through the park looking for her daughter before calling 911. One witness told Alavez they had seen a Hispanic man behind the sheds next to the playground around the time Dulce disappeared. Another witness mentioned seeing a black man in the same area. (The latter was eventually located and questioned.)
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Person of interest in 2019 kidnapping of Dulce Maria Alavez.

​Minutes after calling 911, dozens of Bridgeton Police officers descended on the park and began canvassing the area and woods nearby. The search lasted well into the night. The following morning, the FBI sent its Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) to assist. The team specializes in cases involving abductions or mysterious disappearances of children. Bridgeton Police questioned Dulce's mother and her family. The case made headlines.
​The one thing missing from the massive response? An Amber Alert. Pennsylvania State Police didn't issue an Amber Alert until more than 24 hours after the abduction. By then, whoever took Dulce was long gone. 

Four years later

Fast forward to 2023. Not much has changed since the day Dulce vanished. Police have spoken to Dulce's father, who lives in Mexico, and continue to question her mother and her family in the States. They've also received and investigated hundreds of tips but to no avail. Earlier this year, The Anti-Predator Project, a non-profit organization in Florida dedicated to combating human trafficking, according to its website, agreed to look into the case independently and free of charge. They hope a fresh pair of eyes will result in new leads. 
​In 2020, I spoke to the FBI agent assisting the local authorities in the hours after Dulce was taken. He stated that based on interviews and everything he knew about the investigation, Dulce's disappearance appears to be a case of a stranger abduction, and the person could be hiding in plain sight. Think of Ariel Castro, the man who kidnapped three women and held them captive in his Ohio home for more than a decade without anyone, not even his family, noticing. Castro blended right in with the community. Dulce's kidnapper could be doing the same. (You can see my interview with the FBI and Noema Alavez here.)
However, Bridgeton Police and the Cumberland County Prosecutor were quick to say that all possibilities are still on the table and have not ruled anything or anyone out. Recently, a local news station said investigators still consider Noema and her family suspects. If that's the case, why won't the authorities say it publicly? There's a significant difference between referring to someone as a person of interest and calling them a suspect. If they're suspects, why is a reporter saying this instead of the actual authorities? Furthermore, if they are considered suspects, then why aren't they officially listed as such? 
One thing is for certain: Noema Alavez and her family have been tried and convicted in the court of public opinion, and from day one, they've also been subject to a wave of racist comments online. 
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​Will Dulce ever be found?

For this case to get solved, everyone working on it has to keep an open mind. That includes the community. It seems so many people are deadset on focusing only on the mother. What if it was indeed a stranger who kidnapped Dulce? What if that person is still in the community and monitoring the media coverage? Heck! That person could be showing up to vigils for Dulce or pretending to help look for her. While stranger abductions are rare and, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, make up only 1% of cases reported in the United States annually, they DO happen. 
Anyone with information on Dulce's whereabouts should call 856-451-0033 or submit tips anonymously at BPD.TIPS or CCPO.TIPS. You can also call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
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    Claudia Rivero Investigative Reporter/Producer

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