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The search for five-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez is entering her second week and there is no indication that the authorities would take her away to Bridgeton City Park and where she could have been taken.
Dulce is about 3 feet 5 inches and has brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen shortly after 4 pm September 16, dressed in a yellow shirt with an elephant photo, black and white pants and white shoes.
According to the Amber Alert issued by state police, the man who took the girl is described as a light-skinned, perhaps Hispanic man, measuring about 5 feet 6 inches. It has a thin build, no hair and facial acne. He wore orange sneakers, red pants and a black shirt. The man led Dulce from a playground to a red pickup truck with a sliding side door and tinted windows, then walked away.
Anyone with information about Dulce is asked to call the Missing Persons Service of the New Jersey State Police at 609-882-2000, ext. 2554, or the Bridgeton Police at 856-451-0033. Tipping can also be called by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI and selecting option 4, then option 8.
Here is a chronology of efforts underway to locate Dulce before his disappearance:
Monday, September 16, shortly before 4 pm: Dulce's mother, Noema Alavez, told the police that they had stopped with her 3-year-old brother and 8-year-old parent at a Sunoco convenience store to buy ice cream. CCTV captured at the store showed children looking in a window. Police provided footage of the video to show the clothes that Dulce wore when she disappeared.
Monday 16th September around 16h20: Noema Alavez told the police that she had immediately started looking for Dulce, thinking that her daughter was hiding.
She said she searched for about 10 to 15 minutes before calling her brother to look for the girl.
Matt Gray | For NJ.com
Dulce Maria Alavez, 5, disappeared Monday playing near this playground in a park in Bridgeton.
Monday, September 16 at 17h: Noema Alavez calls the police to report the disappearance of her daughter, which would constitute an intensive search in the huge park.
About two dozen people were playing basketball in court near the playground at the time the child disappeared, police said. All were questioned by the police and none of them initially reported being abducted, police said. Witnesses confirmed that they saw the children in the playground.
The search lasted late into the night.
Tuesday, September 17 at 7 am: The police resumed searches and continued searching all day. The members of the community participated in the effort. The search included airplanes and thermal imaging cameras.
Investigators searched the 1,000-acre park, adjacent neighborhoods and the nearby Sunset Lake throughout the day Tuesday before canceling the searches when it was too dark.
More than 50 officers from different county agencies, members of the city's fire department and K9 statewide were involved in the research. A waterway in the park was also drained as part of the research.
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Tuesday, September 17, around 10 pm: The New Jersey state police issued an Amber Alert for Dulce, revealing for the first time new information stating that the 5 year old could have been removed from the park. They published a description of the man and the red van with a sliding door suspected of being involved in his kidnapping.
Bridgeton police subsequently explained that the new information had been discovered after questioning and re-interrogating witnesses.
Wednesday morning, September 18th: Noema Alavez told NJ Advance Media that police had hinted that members of Dulce's family may have been involved in her disappearance, but she denied the complaint.
"The police think our family did that," she said. "They think I did something to him. I did not do it. I love my daughter. I would never do anything bad to her. "
Wednesday, September 18 at 14h: Police chief Michael Gaimari said the investigators had set up video surveillance that could show that the van was wanted in the kidnapping, but Dulce's whereabouts remain unknown.
Thursday morning: the boyfriend of Dulce's mother (who is not the father of the girl) is arrested by ICE, she told reporters. The man was later released without being charged.
Thursday, September 19 at 15hCumberland County Attorney Jennifer Webb-McCrae holds a brief press conference to announce a $ 20,000 reward for information leading investigators to Dulce. Webb-McCrae held another press conference at the same time on Friday, but had nothing else to add.
Friday morning, September 20th: The award was raised to $ 35,000 as a local company raises $ 10,000 and the Volunteer Police Association of the state deposits an additional $ 5,000.
Saturday, September 21 at 19h: A candlelight vigil takes place in the park where Dulce disappeared.
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Sunday, September 22: Gaimari, the Bridgeton police chief is urging local residents to share information with the authorities, even if they are illegally in the country. He added that the police would not know if a person is undocumented and will not ask about his immigration status.
Monday, September 23rd: Authorities have asked the public to look at cell phones and cameras to look for any images or videos recorded between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm. September 16 at Bridgeton Municipal Park.
The FBI has set up a link to send photos and videos to facilitate research.
Jeff Goldman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman.
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