Dulce Maria Alavez (born April 25, 2014 –
disappeared
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organi ...
September 16, 2019) is an American girl who vanished near a playground in
Bridgeton, New Jersey and is believed to have been
abducted. A reward has been offered for finding Alavez.
Disappearance
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. 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
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. Police have no strong suspects as of February 27, 2022.
''
Dr. Phil'' and ''
In Pursuit with John Walsh
John Edward Walsh Jr. (born December 26, 1945) is an American television personality, and victim rights advocate, and the host/creator of '' America's Most Wanted''. He is known for his anti-crime activism, with which he became involved followin ...
'' carried segments about the disappearance.
[
In February 2021 following leads, a search for Alavez was conducted in ]Austintown, Ohio
Austintown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place within Austintown Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 29,594 at the 2020 census. Located directly west of Youngstown, it is a suburb of the Youn ...
.
In 2020 a false claim that Alavez had been located deceased was spread on social media. In 2021, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pres ...
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."
See also
*List of people who disappeared
Lists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown, or whose deaths are unsubstantiated. Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead ''in absentia''. Some of these people were possibly subjected to enfo ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alavez, Dulce Maria
2010s missing person cases
Kidnapped American children
Missing person cases in New Jersey
People from Bridgeton, New Jersey
September 2019 events in the United States