No one should give up hope that Dulce Maria Alavez, a 5-year-old who vanished while playing in a New Jersey park, will be found one day, said an advocate for missing children as her family and the community prepare to mark the third anniversary of her disappearance.
Family members and supporters will return to Bridgeton City Park in Cumberland County on Friday to offer prayers and renew their commitment to bringing the child home.
Dulce was 5 years old when authorities believe she was abducted during a family outing to a playground at the park on the afternoon of Sept. 16, 2019.
Her whereabouts remain unknown.
“Although three years is an incredibly sad milestone, it doesn’t stop the fight in searching to find her quickly and safely,” said John Bischoff, vice president of the missing children division at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
“Children have been found at the three-year mark, the five-year mark and so on. It’s too early to give up hope on anything. We’re in this to find Dulce and we will not stop until we do,” he added.
The fact that Dulce hasn’t been found yet isn’t for a lack of trying, Bischoff said. All agencies involved in the case, including the FBI, Bridgeton Police Department and the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, remain dedicated to finding the child, he said.
The sprawling investigation into Dulce’s disappearance began when her mother, Noema Alavez Perez, called 911 to report that she could not find her child.
Searches by land, air and water turned up no sign of Dulce and an Amber Alert yielded nothing. A $75,000 reward remains unclaimed.
Officials remain hopeful that she is alive and said the case is still a top priority.
The Friday vigil will take place at a tree dedicated in Dulce’s honor near the spot where authorities believe she was last seen. The 6 p.m. program will include songs and prayers, and images and videos of Dulce will be shown. The last public event at the spot was in April, when supporters gathered to observe Dulce’s 8th birthday.
One of the volunteers helping the family and organizing the Friday event is Brenda Trinidad, a local resident who stressed that no one is giving up on Dulce.
“We will be focused on just her, showing the community that she is still missing,” Trinidad said. “A child just doesn’t disappear.”
Investigators released this image in October 2019 of someone they wanted to speak with in connection with the disappearance of Dulce Maria Alavez.
She had a message for anyone who may have taken Dulce.
“We also want to show the abductor that we will continue to search for Dulce until she is home where she belongs. Justice has no time limit,” Trinidad said.
In the early days of the investigation, two possible suspect descriptions emerged. However, authorities believe they could be the same person. The first was a description of a light-skinned Hispanic man, 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a thin build, no facial hair and facial acne. The second description, from a different witness, was of a Hispanic man, about 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a slender build and about 30 to 35 years old.
In October 2019, authorities released a rendering of a “person of interest” based on the second description.
That individual was never located, investigators said.
Last year, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children produced two age-progression images showing how Dulce may appear now. For missing people under age 18, they generally produce these images every other year, Bischoff said.
Community support remains vital to cracking the case, he added.
“From our standpoint, as a case moves from a few days to a few months to now a few years, it’s more important than ever to lean on the community support that’s out there,” he said. “Keep sharing Dulce’s image. Keep it in the community’s eyes.
“Because as time goes on, unless you’re directly tied to a missing child case, you may forget that a child’s even missing in your area.”
Noema Alavez Perez and Norma Perez, mother and grandmother of Dulce Maria Alavez pose for a picture while holding a picture of Dulce on the porch of their home in Bridgeton, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. Dulce disappeared from Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16, 2019.Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media
For more information about the vigil, go online to the Justice for Dulce Maria Alavez Facebook group created by Trinidad and her fellow volunteers.
Anyone with information about Dulce is asked to contact authorities via one of these options:
- Bridgeton Police: 856-451-0033
- Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office: 856-453-0486
- New Jersey State Police: 609-882-2000, ext. 2554
- FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI (select option 4, then option 8)
- Anonymous tips may be sent to Bridgeton Police at bpdops.com/tips or to the prosecutor’s office at njccpo.org/tips.
The last known images of 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez were caught by a surveillance camera as the family stopped at a convenience store on the way to Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16, 2019. (Bridgeton Police Department)
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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.