An anniversary no parent should ever have to face

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. 

​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.)

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. 

​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).