The Hall County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia announced a $20,000 reward for the safe return of 12-year-old for Maria Gomez-Perez.
“We hope this reward money prompts someone who knows something about Maria’s whereabouts to come forward,” Sheriff Gerald Couch said. “Our investigators and investigative partners are following every lead they get, but so far, none of those leads have led us to Maria. The concerned citizens providing this reward want what we want – for Maria to return home safe.”
HCSO posted on Facebook that a team of over two dozen local, state, and federal investigators is “dedicated to the safe return” of Maria, who was last seen at her home on Westside Drive, near Atlanta Highway, in Hall County at around 10 a.m. on May 29, as CrimeOnline previously reported.
Maria is described as 5 feet, 3 inches tall about 100 to 110 pounds with long black hair and brown eyes, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. She was was believed to be wearing a bright blue shirt when she vanished.
“Many people have taken an active role in the search for Maria, and we are thankful for the support of the community as we work to bring Maria home,” HCSO said. “That said, we want to 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱.”
Investigators said over the weekend that there is “no indication of abduction or foul play at this time” and “no evidence indicating Maria was taken against her will.”
In a Monday statement, the sheriff’s office said that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation denied a request for a Levi’s Call because the disappearance did not meet all of the requirements.
“In answer to a frequently asked question about the case, HCSO investigators did indeed reach out to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to request a Levi’s Call, Georgia’s version of the Amber Alert,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement to FOX 5 Atlanta.
“After a review of the facts of the case with GBI officials, the GBI determined that Maria’s case did not meet three out of five activation criteria:
- Law enforcement officials have a reasonable belief that an abduction has occurred.
- Law enforcement officials believe that the child is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.
- Enough descriptive information exists about the victim and the abductor for law enforcement to issue a Levi’s Call.
“When Levi’s Call requests are denied, the GBI routinely offers and provides a Media Advisory. The GBI disseminated a Media Advisory on behalf of HCSO and Maria to metro and north Georgia broadcast partners over the weekend, with contact information for new information and tips.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) at 770-503-3232 or send an email to intelrequest@hallcounty.org.
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[Feature Photo via HCSO]
