NJ family says it’s time to bring Dulce home – New Jersey 101.5 FM

Will 2022 finally bring answers about a missing South Jersey girl?

September will mark three years since Dulce Maria Alavez vanished from a park in Bridgeton. A family spokeswoman says it is time to bring Dulce home.

It is now hoped that a fresh set of eyes might identify new leads or finding some clue that investigators have overlooked.

NJ.com is reporting that a new FBI agent has been assigned to the case, and has met with Dulce’s mother, Noema Alavez Perez.

The reward for information in the case stands at $75,000 but it has done little to entice new leads in the case.

Alavez Perez has been able to offer investigators little information but is said to be cooperating with authorities.

In April, Jackie Rodriguez, a former spokeswoman for the family, said she was no longer serving in that role because of what she said was “a troubling lack of emotion and motivation” that Alavez Perez showed for finding her daughter.

“I distanced myself because I was sensing a lack of motivation, a lack of emotion,” she told New Jersey 101.5. “Unfortunately, I always had to convince Noema to go in front of the cameras. You have to show your face. You have to fight for your daughter. But it was just so hard all the time to get her to do an interview. I said to myself ‘why am I putting my face out there for someone who’s not even trying to look for her child.”

The Dulce case is still considered an active investigation. Last November, the Cumberland County Prosecutor posted an age-enhanced photo of what Dulce may look like today, and another plea for anyone with information to come forward.

Investigators have also had to repeatedly dispel rumors linked to the case, including reports the missing girl’s body had been found.

Brenda Trinidad is one of the volunteers who helps Dulce’s family keep up public awareness of the case. She told NJ.com they are hoping to bring in outside organizations to review existing evidence but will need permission from law enforcement to make that happen. It’s not clear if investigators will grant that permission.

Investigators have said they believe Dulce was abducted and it was a “crime of opportunity,” but all possibilities are still being explored due to a lack of evidence and solid leads in the case.

The prosecutor believes someone saw something or knows something that will help them crack this case, they just have to convince that person to come forward.