Yakima residents in Washington are pushing police for more transparency regarding a missing boy who hasn’t been seen in over a month.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police said Lucian Munguia was last seen at around 7:15 p.m., in the play area of Sarg Hubbard Park in Yakima on September 10. He was wearing a blue shirt with a shark on it and blue shorts when he disappeared.
A statewide alert was issued last month, which is similar to an AMBER Alert. YPD said although the alert works in a similar way, the boy’s disappearance didn’t meet the AMBER Alert qualifications.
According to the Yakima Herald-Republic, residents in the area are pushing for more answers in the case. Five of the residents went to the Yakima Police Department on Monday morning and put signs up that read, “We need answers,” “Did you forget,” and “Justicia para Lucian.”
Yakima police spokesperson Yvette Inzunza said Monday that there has been no evidence of foul play and the investigation is ongoing, but the residents are reportedly concerned about the lack of updates in the case.
“We don’t need to see evidence, we just want an update,” Yakima resident Elizabeth Britton said. “This is about Lucian.”
Another resident, Francisco Alfaro, said that without updates from investigators, rumors about the case have been spreading.
“Any information will help us understand where this is going,” he said. “Speculations are coming up because there’s no updates.… If YPD can clear up some of those, it would help a lot.”
The Seattle Times reports that last month, 20 Yakima officers, “three Yakima County sheriff’s deputies, two Washington State Patrol officers, and the Yakima Office of Emergency Management searched the park, using two drones and dogs.”
The Air Force branch out of Spokane also helped search last month.
“I just want to assure the public that everything we can do, and the experts are asking us to do, we are doing,” Yakima Police Chief Matt Murray previously said.
When authorities pulled back their search in late September, family members, including Lucian’s parents, Sandra and Juan Munguia, started leading search efforts.
Police previously said the boy’s parents are being cooperative. No suspects have been named in Lucian’s disappearance.
Anyone with information on Lucian is urged to contact the Yakima Sheriff’s Department at 509-575-2500.
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[Feature Photo: Lucian Munguia/Handout]
