New Image Released In Search For NJ Child Missing 4 Years

BRIDGETON, NJ — Nearly four years after Dulce María Alavez vanished, investigators hope a newly released image will yield new leads to find the Bridgeton child alive.

Dulce disappeared from a Bridgeton park on Sept. 16, 2019 when she was 5 years old — investigators believe she was abducted. With the four-year anniversary of the fateful day approaching, search parties released a rendering of what she might look like at 9 years old.

See the age-progression image below from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC):

"Our age progression images have helped bring home missing children many times," said Angeline Hartmann, the NCMEC's director of communications. "We ask people to keep in mind that this may not be exactly what Dulce looks like now. This is an approximation, meant to spark recognition. We're asking everyone to take a look and see if there's something familiar about this face."

Dulce's Disappearance

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 the 3-year-old returned to the vehicle, but Dulce did not, and she was unable to find her daughter.

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.

Person Of Interest Still Unidentified

Officials said Dulce may have been led into "a red van with a sliding door on the side and tinted windows" and have followed multiple leads in the years since.

No suspects have ever been named. But in October 2019, a month after the suspected kidnapping, authorities announced they were seeking a person of interest — a man who remains unidentified.

The person of interest was described as a Hispanic man who's about 5 feet, 7 inches tall. He has a slender build and looks 30-35 years old, according to the FBI. He was wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans and a white baseball-style hat, authorities said.

After Dulce vanished, investigators received word that a male drove off in a red van with tinted windows and a sliding rear passenger side door. The information was developed through an interview with a young child.

Authorities fleshed out information about the person of interest on Oct. 15, 2019, after confirming information about his appearance. Investigators remain confident that they've tracked down every vehicle at the park on the day Dulce was abducted but have not ruled out the report of a red van.

Recent Developments

Officials have conducted hundreds of interviews since Dulce's disappearance, according to the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office. Investigators have traveled to and/or interfaced with law enforcement (federal, state and local) in numerous states and in Mexico.

Authorities continue to receive and investigate new leads. In the past year, investigators have traveled out-of-state to follow up on recent tips in the case.

Earlier this year, a nonprofit that investigates human trafficking joined efforts to find Dulce. The Anti-Predator Project, a Florida-based organization, conducts free, private investigations into cases involving human trafficking and missing persons.

The nonprofit doesn't release the names of its team members because of the "sensitive and often dangerous nature of our work" but says the organization consists of former military special-operations personnel, law enforcement and members of the intelligence community.

Anti-Predator Project personnel will be in Bridgeton until Sunday.

How To Report Information

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.