5 Years After NJ Girl Vanishes, Tips Fuel Hope In Ongoing Search

BRIDGETON, NJ — Five years ago, Dulce Maria Alavez disappeared from a South Jersey park. Her whereabouts remain unknown, but her family and investigators haven't given up.

Dulce vanished from a Bridgeton park on Sept. 16, 2019, when she was 5 years old. Investigators believe she was abducted. Soon after, an Amber Alert went out, and Dulce's face was on billboards far and wide. The FBI, local authorities and private organizations continue to search for answers.

Monday marked the five-year anniversary of Dulce's disappearance.

Detectives have followed up on 17 tips this calendar year, which came from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Nevada, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office (CCPO). Investigators also continue to examine and re-examine physical and technical evidence, applying new forensic innovations to the search.

"Unfortunately, those leads did not result in our locating Dulce or the person responsible for her disappearance," the CCPO said Friday, "but it is not for a lack of effort of those dedicated to the investigation."

Dulce was playing on the Bridgeton City Park swings with her younger brother while their mother sat in a vehicle about 30 yards away, Bridgeton police said in the original Amber Alert. Her mother told police that Dulce did not return to her vehicle.

The child was last seen wearing a yellow shirt with a koala on the front, black and white pants with butterflies and flowers on them, and white dress sandals, according to the FBI.

Investigators believe that a man near the park may have abducted her before driving off in a red van, FBI Special Agent Daniel Garrabrant told NBC New York three years ago.

"The offender that took Dulce was likely there for a period of time," Garrabrant said. "It was a crime of opportunity. They were looking for a child, maybe their age or gender."

In October 2019 — a few months after Dulce went missing — authorities released a police sketch of a person of interest. He was reported as a Hispanic man wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and a white baseball-style hat. He's estimated to be 5 feet, 7 inches tall and 30 to 35 years old, with a slender build.

But to this day, he hasn't been identified, and authorities have no strong suspects in the case.

Dulce's family remains hopeful she will be found.

"In my mother’s heart, I believe I’ll see her again one day," her mother, Noema Alavez Perez, recently told NJ Advance Media.

Five years later, the CCPO urged the public to keep circulating Dulce's name, photo and information on her disappearance — including the description of the person of interest.

How To Report Tips

Authorities continue to encourage the public to assist law enforcement with any information that they feel may be helpful.

Information can be provided anonymously to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office by visiting www.ccpo.tips or via the Bridgeton Police Department at www.bpd.tips. You can also relay information by calling the Bridgeton Police Department at 856-451-0033.

The FBI also continues to gather information on Dulce's disappearance. If you have information concerning this case, you can contact the FBI's Toll-Free Tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) and select option 4, then select option 8. You can also contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Anyone with photos or videos from Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16, 2019, can upload them at fbi.gov/alavez.