New Videos Released Of Missing 5-Year-Old Dulce Maria Alavez, Family Hopes To Spark Search
BRIDGETON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – The family of a five-year-old girl from New Jersey, who has been missing for almost two weeks, has released new videos they hope will help their desperate search.
Dulce Maria Alavez is seen talking and singing while taking selfies; then belting out that famous line from the movie "Frozen."
It's a portrait of a cute and fun-loving little girl who now needs the public's help.
That's Noema Alavez Perez's hope.
Through a friend, Perez sent CBS home videos of her daughter, who hasn't been seen or heard from since Sept. 16.
She disappeared while playing at Bridgeton City Park.
The family hopes perhaps someone who's been withholding information will see the new video, hear Dulce's innocent voice, and have a heart.
"I think we're all feeling the pain that the mother is feeling," business owner Fred MacFarland said.
He like many merchants in downtown Bridgeton are posting missing person signs for Alavez on their windows and talking about the case with customers.
"The whole town has really gotten behind this."
One way people in Bridgeton can help is by looking in their phones or cameras to see if they took any pictures or videos on the day the girl vanished.
The FBI wants them to check for clues.
Authorities tweeted a link to a page for Dulce where people can easily upload their pictures and videos as well.
"We had quite a bit of footage from like 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. of just cars going back and forth," business owner Melissa Helmbrecht said.
"Every kid matters, especially somebody as precious as she is and we're just waiting for her to come home safe."
A $35,000 reward is being offered for information that helps finds the five-year-old.
Alavez disappeared Monday from a city park and an Amber Alert has been issued. The girl and her three-year-old brother were playing while their mother sat in her car with an eight-year-old relative.
Authorities believe the girl was taken by a man who led her to a red van.