Just hours after a 5-year-old girl was reported missing from a Bridgeton park, the FBI’s special team was called in.
The Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team, or CARD, was created in 2005 to offer enhanced response when a child is believed taken, explained Christina Bedford, the unit’s national supervisor.
“When we get the call, I will throw up that bat signal and the team comes calling,” she said.
That’s what happened when Dulce Maria Alavez disappeared from Bridgeton City Park while playing with her 3-year-old brother Sept. 16.While the CARD team is limited in the time it spends aiding local, county and state agencies, the FBI is still very much involved in the case, and is determined to see it through, said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Ehrie.“The Alavez case if very much active,” he told BreakingAC this week, as the case hit four months. “We are going to work tirelessly, as long as it takes.”
The CARD team is meant to enhance those efforts, with its more than 75 members spaced throughout the FBI’s 56 offices. There are two assigned to this area, so they were able to link up with local authorities immediately while the rest of the team responded.
Bedford said she gets every Amber alert in the country, and will decide if the unit should deploy. But there is no set criteria.
“We ask our local and state partners to call us early and call us often,” she said. “We would rather a false alarm than lose that time.”
There were about two dozen CARD members in the are during the first two weeks of the Alavez investigation.
“We typically deploy on a temporary basis,” Bedford explained. “It can range from hours to three weeks, depending on the circumstance of the case.”
Since CARD’s first deployment in 2006, they have assisted with 150 cases involving 181 victims. Of those, 78 have been recovered safely, and 83 deceased. There are 20 missing.
One of them is Dulce Alavez.
While information continues to come in, Ehrie warns against people sharing what they hear publicly.
“When people put out inaccurate or false information, it not only distracts investigators, it also misinforms the people,” he said.
In one online instance, a woman claimed to have spotted the missing girl and even posted a photo of a girl and two men. While the woman insisted State Police had confirmed it was Dulce, it wasn’t. Ehrie said if someone thinks they spot the girl or know something about the case, they should contact authorities directly, so we can look into it accurately and privately.”
“When it goes on social media, it just muddies the waters,” he added.
The agents could not give specifics about the Dulce Alavez investigation, but did talk about what they see in general.
While many believe human trafficking it a large reason for missing children, that is not the majority of cases, Bedford said.
“With missing kids and child abduction, we see more online enticement as a factor,” she said of those who win over the trust of juveniles through channels like social media.
“That’s not to say that doesn’t happen,” Bedford said. “That is always a possibility. We look at everything when we investigate cases.”
Anyone who has information about the case is asked to contact Bridgeton Police Department at 856-451-0033. The public is reminded that authorities will not question any witness about their immigration status. Information may be supplied anonymously by texting TIP411 (847411) beginning the text with Bridgeton.
