Investigators have not given up on finding the Bridgeton girl who disappeared two years ago while playing with her little brother.
Dulce Maria Alavez was just 5 years old when she was last seen playing with her then-3-year-old brother at Bridgeton City Park just before 5 p.m. Sept. 16, 2019.
"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," Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae and Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari said in a joint statement released to mark Thursday's two-year anniversary.
Officials also released two photos of what the girl might look like today, at 7 years old.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children worked with Dulce's investigative team to produce the age-progression image.
Noema Alavez Perez was 19 and had a third child on the way when she brought her two children to the park that day two years ago.
The two young children went into the park alone while Perez sat in her car helping her 8-year-old sister with homework and scratching off lottery tickets.
An Amber Alert went out nearly 31 hours after she was reported missing.
Dulce's mother appeared on Dr. Phil that December, recounting the day her daughter went missing, and denying any knowledge of what happened to her.
The interview didn't offer much insight into the disappearance.
There was the mention of a man who had been trying to date Noema Alavez Perez, but she seemed uncertain that he had anything to do with what happened.
“You’re the mother. You seem awfully calm about all this,” Dr. Phil McGraw told her. “I’ve talked to lots of mothers of abducted children, and you’re the most calm I’ve ever talked to.”
About a month after her disappearance, authorities released a composite sketch of a possible witness.
“This sketch is not from the child witness of tender years who gave authorities an initial description,” Webb-McRae said.
“I am not calling this person a suspect or a person of interest,” she stressed. “He is simply a possible witness we want to speak with at this time.”
The Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, Bridgeton Police Department, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Department of Homeland Security (ICE) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are still working cooperatively to determine those who are responsible for Dulce’s disappearance, Webb-McRae and Gaimari said.
They encourage anyone in the community to come forward with any information that 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 as well.
