Cops hope to speak with missing N.J. child’s dad after he posts birthday video online – NJ.com

Police investigating the disappearance of Dulce Maria Alavez from a Bridgeton park in 2019 are seeking to talk with the girl’s father after someone claiming to be him posted a video about the child this week.

Dulce was 5 years old when she was reported missing during a family outing at Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16, 2019.

Her family marked the child’s 7th birthday on Sunday. A reward for information in the case stands at $75,000.

Someone identifying himself as Edgar Perez, Dulce’s father, posted a video to YouTube on Sunday saying he had nothing to do with her disappearance and that he has no idea where she is.

The video shows footage of Dulce with her dad taken in the years prior to her disappearance. He was deported in 2018 and is living in Mexico, according to investigators.

The child’s father was never labeled a suspect in the case.

Dulce’s mother, Noema Alavez Perez, confirmed Wednesday that the man speaking in the video is Edgar Perez. The speaker is not shown.

“We’re just trying to verify it was him,” Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari said.

“The images appear to show him, he said, “but we don’t know who made the video, so we’re trying to determine that. But, yes, we would like to open up more of a rapport with him.”

The man in the video describes his sadness over Dulce’s disappearance as music plays in the background.

“Just like everyone, I want to know where she is,” he says, adding that he believes she will be found soon.

He describes taking care of Dulce when she was very young and spending time with her when he could.

Efforts by NJ Advance Media to contact Edgar Perez have been unsuccessful.

The FBI previously interviewed Perez and described him as cooperative. An agent speaking about the case last year said no evidence had been found of a custody dispute between Dulce’s parents.

In a September 2019 interview with NJ Advance Media, Dulce’s mother said Edgar Perez expressed an interest in seeking custody of the child when she was very young, but never followed through on it.

The FBI agent cast doubt on the notion that a family member could have taken the child out of the country without investigators finding evidence and instead suggested she was likely abducted by a stranger in a crime of opportunity. Local investigators say they remain open to all possible theories of what happened.

A spokeswoman for the FBI referred questions about the new video to local police.

Gaimari said his team never had the opportunity to speak with Dulce’s dad, so the video could provide that opening.

“The FBI’s only talked to him a couple of times and he was in Mexico,” Gaimari said. “Local investigators here have not been able to talk to him, so, yeah, if it leads to us making contact with him and interviewing him … that would be a goal.”

Authorities ask anyone with information about Dulce to call New Jersey State Police at 609-882-2000, ext. 2554, or Bridgeton police at 856-451-0033. Tips may also be phoned in to 1-800-CALL-FBI and select option 4, then select option 8. Anonymous tips may be sent by text to TIP411 with “Bridgeton” in the message line or via the police department’s website at https://bpdops.com/tips.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Rodrigo Torrejon contributed to this report.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.