Dulce Maria Alavez, Missing South Jersey Girl, Turns 8 On Monday

BRIDGETON, NJ — Dulce Alvaez, the Cumberland County girl who went missing from a Bridgeton Park more than 2-1/2 years ago, turns 8 years old on Monday.

Dulce’s mother, Noema, has previously said that on Sept 16, 2019, her children were out-of-sight for no more than 5 to 10 minutes, and that she was scratching a lottery ticket and helping her 8-year-old sister with her homework when Dulce disappeared.

Investigators have searched wooded areas, waterways and vacant buildings in the Bridgeton area, authorities have previously said. Investigators also checked on the status of sex offenders in South Jersey to see if they have any possible connections to the case. Dulce’s picture has also appeared on billboards and coupon books.

The case has garnered national and local attention and few solid leads; however, authorities have continuously stated that their investigation into Dulce’s disappearance will not end until its resolved.

Age-Progressed Photos Released

One of the most notable developments in the case occurred in September, when The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children worked with detectives investigating Dulce’s disappearance to create and release an age-progressed image of what she might look like today.

"We hold out hope that Dulce is alive (as we have no evidence of her demise) and want the public to know that this case will remain open until such time as we locate Dulce and determine those responsible for her disappearance," the prosecutor's office said at the time of the age-progressed photo's release.

Man Says He Has Nothing To Do With Dulce’s Disappearance

Another development in the case occurred in April of 2021, reports surfaced that police were reportedly looking at a video about the child.

A man identifying himself as Edgar Perez, Dulce's father, posted a video to YouTube saying he had nothing to do with her disappearance.

The video shows Dulce with, presumably, her father and has music playing in the background. He was deported in 2018 and is living in Mexico, according to NJ Advance Media.

"I don't know where she is," the man said in the video, noting that Dulce just turned 7 years old. "Just like everyone, I want to know where she is."

Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari said authorities are investigating and trying to verify if the man is her father, NBC10 reported at the time of the video’s surfacing.

Dulce Family Spokesperson, Mother Appear On National TV

Still another development occurred in December 2019.

Jackie Rodriguez, who had been acting as the family spokeswoman in the immediate aftermath of Dulce’s disappearance and Dulce’s mother Noema Perez, appeared on “The Dr. Phil Show.”

Dr. Phil told Rodriguez he's been doing this kind of work "for 45 years and I have never worked with a mother who has been as emotionally flat about a missing child as Noema."

"Is she that way all the time?" he asked Rodriguez.

"I want to believe she cries at night. I want to believe she's strong. I want to say she's strong for the public, for herself," she said.

"You think she may know more about what took place than she's telling?" Dr. Phil asked.

"Yes," Rodriguez said.

"Why?"

"She seems too calm," Rodriguez replied. "I feel like she knows that the child is OK. She's missing her but I feel like she knows that the child is OK."

Rodriguez also said she's never seen Noema "freaking out" and she saw her cry just once.

Her family, however, has been really upset and "they're upset at her, I'm assuming, because she stayed in the car and allowed them (Dulce and her brother) to go alone" in the Bridgeton park where she disappeared.

"She's told me they're upset because she might know something," Rodriguez said.

As for Noema, she told Dr. Phil she's not sure if Dulce is alive and she doesn't know why she doesn't cry in front of people.

Police, Noema said, gave her a polygraph test but she claims they never told her the results. She said police were "clearly suspicious" and asked her if she set up her daughter's kidnapping or if she tried to "sell" her.

A few months after her daughter’s disappearance, on the “Dr. Phil” show, Norma said she went and looked around for Dulce, thinking she was playing hide-and-go seek. "I didn't want to believe that somebody took her," she said.

Noema also said she doesn't know anybody who would be responsible for Dulce's disappearance, but Dr. Phil pressed her. "If you had to name somebody, who would be your first choice?" he asked.

Noema added said she has an old friend who has wanted to date her, and who was trying to "get to me" and she rejected him. He insisted, Noema said, but she just said no.

During the appearance on “Dr. Phil,” Noema struggled to explain why Dulce would go to a stranger when she would never do something like that, adding that other people in the park saw a "black man" running at the time of the disappearance.

Noema said she doesn't know any black men, and told Dr. Phil that she's instructed Dulce to "scream" if a stranger approached. But no one heard a scream.

Have You Seen Dulce?

At the time of her disappearance, Dulce, who is a Hispanic girl, stood about 3 feet tall, weighed 60 pounds to 70 pounds, had brown eyes and had brown hair. She was last seen at a Bridgeton park wearing a yellow shirt with an elephant on it, as well as black-and-white pants and white shoes, police said.

Detectives have said they believe Dulce was taken by a light-skinned Hispanic male, 5 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet, 8 inches tall with a thin build, facial acne, no facial hair and wearing orange sneakers, red pants and a black shirt. He allegedly led Dulce from the park to a red van with a sliding side door.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, ext. 2857; the Bridgeton Police Department at 856-451-0033; or by calling 911 immediately.

This story contains reporting by Anthony Bellano and Tom Davis.

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