Disappearance of Dulce Maria Alavez
Dulce Maria Alavez | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 25, 2014 Bridgeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Disappeared | September 16, 2019 (aged 5) Bridgeton City Park, Bridgeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Status | Missing for 4 years, 7 months and 15 days |
| Parent | Noema Alavez Perez |
Dulce Maria Alavez (born April 25, 2014 – disappeared September 16, 2019)[1] is an American girl who vanished near Bridgeton City Park in Bridgeton, New Jersey and is believed to have been abducted.[2] A reward has been offered for finding Alavez.[3][4]
Disappearance[edit]
On September 16, 2019, 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez and her brother were playing on the swings, while Alavez's pregnant mother was in her car, 30 yards away. She was playing a scratch-off lottery ticket and helping her younger sister with her homework.[5] It was around 4 pm to 5 pm (ET) when Alavez suddenly vanished from the playground. Alavez's mother went to see where her children were and found Alavez’s brother by himself crying at the swings.
Search and aftermath[edit]
Over 30 police officers were part of a search party who looked in the nearby woods, but found nothing. The suspect is described as a light-skinned Hispanic male to 5'8 and driving a red van.[6] Police have no strong suspects as of June 15, 2023.[7]
Dr. Phil and In Pursuit with John Walsh carried segments about the disappearance.[7]
In February 2021 following leads, a search for Alavez was conducted in Austintown, Ohio.[8][9][10]
In 2020 a false claim that Alavez had been located deceased was spread on social media.[11] In 2021, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children releasing two age-progression images of Alavez as a seven-year-old, FBI special agent Daniel Garrabrant said, "The offender that took Dulce was likely there for a period of time. It was a crime of opportunity. They were looking for a child, maybe their age or gender."[12]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "DULCE MARIA ALAVEZ". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
- ^ Goldbaum, Christina (October 1, 2019). "A 5-Year-Old Girl Went Missing From a Playground. What Happened?". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Community holds out hope for Dulce Maria Alavez who has been missing for months". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
- ^ "Reward for finding Dulce increases to $52,000, what you need to know about the case". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
- ^ Alexander, Dan (September 30, 2019). "Mom: I was scratching lottery tix when girl went missing; don't judge us". New Jersey 101.5. Archived from the original on 2019-10-01. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ "Police Release Sketch of Possible Witness in Dulce Maria Alavez Disappearance". Time. 17 October 2019.
- ^ a b NJ.com, Matt Gray | For (2020-02-05). "Case of missing 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez will be on another national TV show". nj. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
- ^ "New Jersey 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez has been missing for 6 months". PIX11. 2020-03-15. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
- ^ NJ.com, Alex Napoliello | NJ Advance Media for; NJ.com, Matt Gray | For (2020-03-01). "Search for missing 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez extends to Ohio, police say". nj. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
- ^ NJ.com, Matt Gray | For (2020-03-04). "Ohio ice cream shop was recipient of 3rd letter about missing N.J. 5-year-old Dulce Alavez". nj. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
- ^ Gray, Matt (2020-10-21). "Investigators denounce false claim that missing N.J. girl Dulce Maria Alavez was found dead". NJ.com. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ Chang, David (2021-09-17). "Officials Release 2 Age-Progressed Photos of Dulce María Alavez". WNBC-TV. NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Retrieved 2021-11-03.