What Dulce Maria Alavez may look like today.
"We will not rest until we solve this mystery," Cumberland County's prosecutor promised as the area marks six years since the disappearance of a little girl from a Bridgeton city park.
Dulce Maria Alavez was 5 years old Sept. 16, 2019, when she went off to play with her 3-year-old brother as her young mother sat inside a car nearby.
Noema Alavez Perez, then 19 and pregnant with her third child, was helping her younger sister with homework and scratching off lottery tickets.
Dulce was last seen being led to a red van with a sliding side door and tinted windows, according to an Amber Alert issued nearly 31 hours later.
The suspect has been described as a thin-built light-skinned Hispanic man who is about 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8 with no facial hair and acne.
A sketch was released as "a possible witness."
The girl's mother appeared on "Dr. Phil," as the case got national attention.
Several Facebook groups popped up, looking for answers, and sharing tips and theories. Many have tapered off or stopped posting entirely over the years that followed.
But the search has not ceased, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said.
Case agents have worked closely with the New Jersey State Police Special Investigations Section over the past year, she said. Under this initiative, new investigators are reviewing all of the evidence that has been collected since Dulce disappeared.
State Police also started a process through artificial intelligence anticipating that it will develop new lines of investigation.
“Acknowledging the solemn anniversary of Dulce’s disappearance gives us the opportunity to keep Dulce’s memory alive," Webb-McRae said. "It reminds us that a 5-year-old baby vanished from Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16, 2019, and that the person (or persons) responsible for her disappearance remain at large."
The public has continued to submit tips through the years, she said. Every one is thoroughly investigated.
"We owe it to Dulce and her family to bring whoever is responsible for Dulce’s disappearance to justice,” she said.
“Six years later, this case remains just as important today as it was on the first day," said Colonel Patrick Callahan, superintendent of the N.J. State Police. "Our detectives, working side by side with the Prosecutor’s Office and our law enforcement partners, have never stopped pursuing every lead. Our commitment to uncovering the truth has never wavered — we will never forget, and we remain steadfast in our mission to bring closure to the family.”
As new investigators review all of the information that has been collected in this matter, they are interested in hearing from anyone who was in Bridgeton City Park that day, Webb-McRae added.
“This investigation is like a large puzzle," she said. "There are missing puzzle pieces. We don’t know their significance or where they fit in the puzzle until the pieces are collected. Anyone who was out in the park on the day of Dulce’s disappearance may have the puzzle piece that breaks this case wide open.”
She added that any witness who comes forward will not have their immigration status used against them.
Information can be provided to the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office by visiting www.ccpo.tips and may be provided anonymously. Information can also be provided by calling the New Jersey State Police Special Investigations Section at 1-833-465-2653.
