AMBER Alert DULCE ALAVEZ: Missing from Bridgeton, NJ - 16 Sept 2019 - Age 5

New searches planned for 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez, missing now for over 4 months



Family and supporters will gather over the next two weekends to continue searching for 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez, who was reported missing more than four months ago.

Dulce was visiting Bridgeton City Park on a family outing Sept. 16 when she disappeared without a trace.

Bridgeton Police, the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI are working to locate the girl. A reward currently stands at $75,000.


Investigators say the search for Dulce remains a top priority.

Police issued an Amber Alert for a man reportedly seen ushering the girl into a van at the park on the day she disappeared, but authorities later said they just wanted to speak with the person described in the notice.

In October, police released a sketch of a man seen at the park with young children around the time Dulce disappeared. Authorities did not describe him as a suspect, but someone they wished to interview.

New searches planned for 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez, missing now for over 4 months

A $75,000 reward is being offered for information about the N.J. child, who was reported missing on Sept. 16, 2020.

www.nj.com

DULCE ALAVEZ has been missing from Bridgeton, #NewJersey since Sept 2019 - Age 5

Dulce was visiting Bridgeton City Park on a family outing Sept. 16 when she disappeared without a trace. Bridgeton Police, the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI are working to locate the girl. A reward currently stands at $75,000.

www.crimewatchers.net

 

[Whatsnext]

I really hope someone can find out what happened to Dulce

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

WATCH: Somebody Knows Something: The Disappearance of Dulce

In September 2023, four years after the disappearance of Dulce Maria Alavez from a park in Bridgeton, New Jersey, NBC10's Claudia Vargas took a fresh look at the case and retraces the girl's last known steps.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

‘Somebody Knows Something: The Disappearance of Dulce' debuts Friday evening on NBC10​

On Sep. 16, 2019, Noema Alavez was sitting in her car scratching off a lottery ticket while her two kids played at a nearby playground in Bridgeton, New Jersey. A few minutes later she went to check on them. She then realized her 5-year-old daughter Dulce María Alavez was gone. Some people on the basketball court next to the playground told Noema that Dulce ran behind some sheds at the same time two men were walking by and that perhaps one of those men took her. Noema then called 911.

A police search ensued -- with help from state and federal authorities. Despite what the girls on the basketball court said, police stated they did not have evidence of an abduction—a requirement for an Amber Alert.

“Through the early morning, we were still hoping to find the child was maybe in the brush or had gotten tangled up,” the Bridgeton Police Chief said.

As the hours ticked by, Noema begged officials for an Amber Alert. Then, 29 hours after police arrived on scene, an Amber Alert was issued, describing a suspect and the car Dulce was believed to be taken in. But without cameras in the park, police couldn’t corroborate the witness statements that led to the Amber Alert.

Police have continued to investigate tips—going across the country and to Mexico. Local law enforcement officials have also kept a close eye on Dulce’s family—executing a search warrant at her home years after she went missing. But to this day, Dulce remains missing.

Four years after Dulce’s disappearance, NBC10 investigative reporter Claudia Vargas is taking a fresh look at the case. She retraced Dulce’s last known steps and spoke with the girl’s family and case investigators.

“Somebody Knows Something: The Disappearance of Dulce” premieres Friday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. on NBC10 and the NBC10 streaming channels. In the days leading up to the special, NBC10 will air the following stories:

Tuesday, Sept. 12: The Latest on the search for Dulce María Alavez​

Wednesday, Sept. 13: Security at the park where Dulce went missing​

Thursday, Sept. 14: Delay in Amber Alert in the Dulce case​

Friday, Sept. 15: What would Dulce look like today? ​

 

[Mel70]

WATCH: Somebody Knows Something: The Disappearance of Dulce

In September 2023, four years after the disappearance of Dulce Maria Alavez from a park in Bridgeton, New Jersey, NBC10's Claudia Vargas took a fresh look at the case and retraces the girl's last known steps.

www.nbcphiladelphia.com

‘Somebody Knows Something: The Disappearance of Dulce' debuts Friday evening on NBC10​

On Sep. 16, 2019, Noema Alavez was sitting in her car scratching off a lottery ticket while her two kids played at a nearby playground in Bridgeton, New Jersey. A few minutes later she went to check on them. She then realized her 5-year-old daughter Dulce María Alavez was gone. Some people on the basketball court next to the playground told Noema that Dulce ran behind some sheds at the same time two men were walking by and that perhaps one of those men took her. Noema then called 911.

A police search ensued -- with help from state and federal authorities. Despite what the girls on the basketball court said, police stated they did not have evidence of an abduction—a requirement for an Amber Alert.

“Through the early morning, we were still hoping to find the child was maybe in the brush or had gotten tangled up,” the Bridgeton Police Chief said.

As the hours ticked by, Noema begged officials for an Amber Alert. Then, 29 hours after police arrived on scene, an Amber Alert was issued, describing a suspect and the car Dulce was believed to be taken in. But without cameras in the park, police couldn’t corroborate the witness statements that led to the Amber Alert.

Police have continued to investigate tips—going across the country and to Mexico. Local law enforcement officials have also kept a close eye on Dulce’s family—executing a search warrant at her home years after she went missing. But to this day, Dulce remains missing.

Four years after Dulce’s disappearance, NBC10 investigative reporter Claudia Vargas is taking a fresh look at the case. She retraced Dulce’s last known steps and spoke with the girl’s family and case investigators.

“Somebody Knows Something: The Disappearance of Dulce” premieres Friday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. on NBC10 and the NBC10 streaming channels. In the days leading up to the special, NBC10 will air the following stories:

Tuesday, Sept. 12: The Latest on the search for Dulce María Alavez​

Wednesday, Sept. 13: Security at the park where Dulce went missing​

Thursday, Sept. 14: Delay in Amber Alert in the Dulce case​

Friday, Sept. 15: What would Dulce look like today? ​

View attachment 20223

4 yrs already?! Where are you Dulce?.

 

[GrandmaBear]

4 yrs already?! Where are you Dulce?.

No kidding. It seems like yesterday or at least just a year or two ago. NOT FOUR!

That article talks as if it was women on the basketball court... And something about two men when Dulce went around a building? That's not my recollection... I don't recall women and I do recall a vehicle finally and some guy I thought POSSIBLY but not two men...

And mom begged for an Amber Alert and couldn't get one. What, did LE think the way it sounds that she just disappeared in the park and was lost in the area or something... Seemed that way back then... Maybe they wondered about mom.... Why did she want the Amber Alert and was certain she wasn't in the park? My guess is the ice cream, the little brother, maybe knowing Dulce wouldn't have wandered off and because there was no sign of her...?

I often suspect the parents as most know but in this case if I start to dissect it, I don't see it with the mom...There is video of them at the convenience store... I mean I guess she COULD HAVE set something up but that's a really far reach. I think she just wasn't being overly attentive, was too young and trusting that all was fine, etc. I rarely think that but in this case I lean that way, I don't wonder about the mom as to her disappearance or being part of anything. Not saying it COULDN'T be but I think it unlikely.

She would never make mom of the year and it well could have been someone familiar with them and her lack of being any type of helicopter parent but I don't think she intentionally did anything or again was part of anything.

 

[Mel70]

Not looking back. IIRC. A Spanish man forcing her into a red van?.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Not looking back. IIRC. A Spanish man forcing her into a red van?.

Yeah like one guy I thought it was, can't recall if Spanish, I don't recall that part at all, but a van I think and I think burgundy or red and that's what allowed the Amber Alert finally and I think looking for cameras along the road (park didn't have them) too late of course, etc. as far as we know.

So what is this two guys thing? And women? The article also seems to make clear they can't go by this as the "witnesses'" accounts can't be proven or corroborated...

I mean I followed this big time and believe you did and I don't recall women on the basketball court and I do NOT recall a story of two men.

I wonder if you get the Spanish man thing from it was speculated and looked into if it could be her dad or related to her dad or Mexico. That was certainly something talked of but I don't think it was ever said the person with the van was Hispanic...?

I honestly wonder about the entire van thing. They couldn't do an Amber Alert because they didn't have this and that and a vehicle and then voila there was one...

This article almost has hints of wondering about the accounts of witnesses... I will say I've always wondered about the ones in the park, on the court, hanging around, etc... Where did red van come from? Cameras, even along the road away from the park OR from the people at the park...?

I actually lean towards (no reason, don't know they aren't just good people that were there playing basketball) the people that were there or someone with them, around them... I always had the opinion this was a bunch of males on the court and they were the ones who were asked if they saw the kids, etc. I don't know where these females came from unless the article as often is the case got their facts wrong...

 

[Mel70]

Yeah. That is all new to me too.

 

[Mel70]

Page 1. There is a sketch. Described as "Hispanic" 5'7. 30-35. Slender build. Along with description of what he was wearing.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Yeah. That is all new to me too.

yeah, so if that's the case, new to us both and unknown, how do they expect to find answers when the public hasn't been given this info prior but here it is now as if it existed?

IF this is not an error filled news article. That happens enough too.

 

[Mel70]

yeah, so if that's the case, new to us both and unknown, how do they expect to find answers when the public hasn't been given this info prior but here it is now as if it existed?

IF this is not an error filled news article. That happens enough too.

Yes. That is true.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Page 1. There is a sketch. Described as "Hispanic" 5'7. 30-35. Slender build. Along with description of what he was wearing.

Okay. Rings a bell now. I wasn't sure or unsure of this part. I am sure I never heard of women on the basketball court or TWO men, etc. Thanks for verifying this part.

 

[Mel70]

Yeah. GBear. It does seem to be a growing trend that it is the parents, A step parent, Foster parent, Or adoptive parent by abuse. Stranger abductions are more rare like this one. But there is almost a 0 chance of finding them alive. They are usually dead in 3 hrs after abduction. 24 hrs with almost certainty, By 72 almost 100%. Some are kept captive. But that is even more rare. There was "Steven Stayner, Colleen Stan, Shawn Hornbeck". Are ones that ones I can think of off hand. That did escape.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Yeah. GBear. It does seem to be a growing trend that it is the parents, A step parent, Foster parent, Or adoptive parent by abuse. Stranger abductions are more rare like this one. But there is almost a 0 chance of finding them alive. They are usually dead in 3 hrs after abduction. 24 hrs with almost certainty, By 72 almost 100%. Some are kept captive. But that is even more rare. There was "Steven Stayner, Colleen Stan, Shawn Hornbeck". Are ones that ones I can think of off hand. That did escape.

Shannon Groene (I am off but close on the name, saw her brother murdered, both were kidnapped--Dylan maybe?). Elizabeth Smart. Not necessarily escapes but survived and people recognized them or gave a tip, etc.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

New age-progression image to age 9.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Detectives get about 12 tips about Dulce Alavez after release of new rendering of missing N.J. girl

The new tips include possible sightings and other information about Dulce Maria Alavez, who was 5 when she disappeared from Bridgeton City Park in 2019.

www.nj.com

Detectives get about 12 tips about Dulce Alavez after release of new rendering of missing N.J. girl​

Investigators have received about a dozen tips in the case of a missing Cumberland County girl following the release of an updated age-progression rendering last week, officials said.

Dulce Maria Alavez was 5 years old when she vanished from Bridgeton City Park four years ago. The search for clues about her disappearance has yielded no answers so far, but the new rendering of how Dulce may look today as a 9-year-old has helped reinvigorate the search.


Since last week, the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office and Bridgeton Police Department have received about six tips each, officials reported. It wasn’t immediately clear Tuesday if any of those new tips were duplicates, officials acknowledged.

The tips originated from the Cumberland County area and around the region, including at least one from Pennsylvania, officials said.

“I think half of them were possible sightings and the other half were just information,” Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari said of the tips his department received.

He noted one tip proved to be untrue while others are still being investigated. “Nothing promising has been uncovered so far,” he added.

 

[Mel70]

Shannon Groene (I am off but close on the name, saw her brother murdered, both were kidnapped--Dylan maybe?). Elizabeth Smart. Not necessarily escapes but survived and people recognized them or gave a tip, etc.

Yes. Shasta and Dylan. The others were victims for years before escaping.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Christmas event to honor N.J. girl missing since 2019

Dulce Maria Alavez vanished from a Cumberland County park during a family outing.

www.nj.com

Christmas event planned to honor N.J. girl missing since 2019​

This will be the fifth Christmas since a young Cumberland County girl vanished without a trace, but her family and supporters will gather again this year to remember the child on what they say was her favorite holiday.

A Christmas gathering for Dulce, who would be 9 years old today, will be held Dec. 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Dulce’s Tree, a spot in the park dedicated to her memory and located close to where she was last seen.

Volunteers organize this program each year as a way to keep Dulce’s memory alive and to remind everyone that she still has not come home, they say. Learn more about the Christmas event on Facebook.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Years after Dulce Alavez vanished from N.J. park, supporters plan 10th birthday event

“Our purpose is to keep her name out in the public eye,” a family advocate said of the April 21 event.

www.nj.com

Years after Dulce Alavez vanished from N.J. park, supporters plan 10th birthday event​

Dulce Maria Alvarez loved fairytales.

She enjoyed dressing up as Elsa from her favorite Disney film, “Frozen,” and running around the family’s house in Bridgeton singing the theme song, her mother, Noema Alavez Perez, previously recalled.

Dulce’s family still clings to those memories 4 1/2 years after the little girl disappeared from a park in Cumberland County during a family outing on Sept. 16, 2019. She was only 5 years old and her disappearance sparked a massive search that has yielded no answers about what happened to her.

This month marks another milestone in the mystery. Dulce’s 10th birthday is April 25.

As they have in year’s past, family, friends and supporters will return to Bridgeton City Park and gather around Dulce’s Tree, a spot dedicated to keeping the child’s story alive. They will mark her birthday and pray for her return.

This year’s event will be held Sunday, April 21, at 2 p.m. Details about the event are on the group’s Facebook page.

“Our purpose is to keep her name out in the public eye,” said family advocate Brenda Trinidad.

For Dulce’s family, the missing child’s birthday is always a difficult time, Trinidad said.

“The emptiness they feel when her birthday comes around is unreal,” she said. “That day was filled with love and joy. Unfortunately, they have not celebrated her birthday for 5 years. That’s 5 years they have not seen her grow into the princess she always stated she was.”

 

[Mel70]

Years after Dulce Alavez vanished from N.J. park, supporters plan 10th birthday event

“Our purpose is to keep her name out in the public eye,” a family advocate said of the April 21 event.

www.nj.com

Years after Dulce Alavez vanished from N.J. park, supporters plan 10th birthday event​

Dulce Maria Alvarez loved fairytales.

She enjoyed dressing up as Elsa from her favorite Disney film, “Frozen,” and running around the family’s house in Bridgeton singing the theme song, her mother, Noema Alavez Perez, previously recalled.

Dulce’s family still clings to those memories 4 1/2 years after the little girl disappeared from a park in Cumberland County during a family outing on Sept. 16, 2019. She was only 5 years old and her disappearance sparked a massive search that has yielded no answers about what happened to her.

This month marks another milestone in the mystery. Dulce’s 10th birthday is April 25.

As they have in year’s past, family, friends and supporters will return to Bridgeton City Park and gather around Dulce’s Tree, a spot dedicated to keeping the child’s story alive. They will mark her birthday and pray for her return.

This year’s event will be held Sunday, April 21, at 2 p.m. Details about the event are on the group’s Facebook page.

“Our purpose is to keep her name out in the public eye,” said family advocate Brenda Trinidad.

For Dulce’s family, the missing child’s birthday is always a difficult time, Trinidad said.

“The emptiness they feel when her birthday comes around is unreal,” she said. “That day was filled with love and joy. Unfortunately, they have not celebrated her birthday for 5 years. That’s 5 years they have not seen her grow into the princess she always stated she was.”

They must go through mental torture. All parents of the missing. Some die without knowing. That's awful.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

America's Lost Children: 37 Active AMBER Alerts Still Haunt Families

Since the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have tracked AMBER Alerts, 99% of children have been recovered. The 1% are still missing.

www.newsweek.com

America's Lost Children: 37 Active AMBER Alerts Still Haunt Families​

The first AMBER Alert was issued in 1996. The notification, which stands for America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response, has recovered at least 1,074 abducted children around the country.

Throughout the years, however, not all missing children are found and there are still 37 active alerts.

"Obviously we would want ever case of a missing child to be resolved and for the child to be recovered alive," Alan Nanavaty, executive director of special programs the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children missing children division, told Newsweek.

The alerts serve as just one tool to help find missing children. Last year alone, Nanavaty said her organization had 20,000 children missing reported to the organization. Around 90% of those children were found.

"Since we've been tracking AMBER Alerts, since early 2005 timeframe, 99% of the children have been recovered," Nanavaty said. "It's not a good or bad thing. It's just what it is, and law enforcement continues to work on the cases."

"I think in terms of the AMBER Alert being used or activated at this point on these cases, the value diminishes over time. However, there are still things that can be done," Nanavaty said. "The most important part is locating that child as quickly as possible and bringing them home safely."

2019 Amber Alerts​

Dulce Alavez vanished near Bridgeton City Park in New Jersey.

She is believed to have been abducted when she and her brother were playing on the swings.