BRIDGETON, N.J. — Today marks five years since Dulce Alavez, then 5 years old, went missing while playing in a Bridgeton City park in Cumberland County. Investigators are hoping a new age-progression image, created by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), will help bring her home.
Dulce vanished on September 16, 2019, while playing with her younger brother. Despite extensive searches and investigations, her whereabouts remain unknown. The newly released image, crafted by NCMEC forensic artist Christi Andrews, offers a glimpse of what Dulce might look like now at 10 years old.
“When starting an age progression, the first thing I do is study the images of the missing child, in this case, Dulce,” said Andrews. “I was lucky enough to get images of her biological family, which gave me clues as to how family members age over time.”
NCMEC updates age-progression images every two years for missing children under 18. These images have helped law enforcement bring missing children home, and officials are hopeful that this latest effort will generate new leads.
Angeline Hartmann, director of communications at NCMEC, emphasized that while the image may not be an exact match, it is intended to spark recognition. “We’re asking everyone to take a look and see if there’s something familiar about this face,” she said.
Anyone with information about Dulce Alavez’s disappearance is urged to contact NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST, the Bridgeton Police Department at 856-451-0033, or the FBI at 800-225-5324.