Authorities in New Jersey are asking for the public’s help in locating a girl who reportedly went missing from a park on Monday afternoon.
Citing police, NJ Advance Media reports that Dulce Maria Alavez, 5, was last seen at City Park in Bridgeton. The girl’s mother reportedly told officers that she took her children to the park at around 4 p.m., and that her daughter and 3-year-old son went to play while she and an 8-year-old relative stayed in the car.
According to WCAU, the mother said the kids had ice cream as they ran toward the playground. Roughly 10 minutes later, the mother said she noticed her son’s ice cream was on the ground, and he was crying. The boy then pointed to the area where his sister vanished, which was in the vicinity of a few storage buildings, the mother told the news station.
“I thought she was just playing hide-and-seek, that she was playing in the woods,” the mother said.
🚨 URGENT – 5 year old missing from park in NJ!—Dulce Maria Alavez, age 5, was last seen around 4:00 p.m. on Monday,…
Posted by Missing Pieces Network on Tuesday, September 17, 2019
She reportedly searched for Alavez for 10 to 15 minutes before calling her brother for help. They continued to look for the girl before contacting police at around 5 p.m., according to NJ Advance Media.
“She has NOT been located yet. There is misinformation saying she was. When she is found, The Bridgeton Police Department will update,” local police wrote on Facebook late Monday.
Law enforcement said Alavez was last seen wearing brown pants with flowers and butterflies, a pink-colored shirt with long sleeves, and white dress shoes.
Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari said they are treating Alavez’s disappearance as a missing child case. WCAU reported that the missing girl’s mother isn’t considered a person of interest, and Gaimari said she stayed with police throughout the night.
Anyone with information regarding Dulce Maria Alavez’s whereabouts is urged to call the Bridgeton Police Department at 856-451-0033.
[Featured image: Dulce Maria Alavez/Bridgeton Police Department]
