September 25, 2019 | 8:31am
The FBI has been in touch with the father of missing 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez, who vanished more than a week ago from a New Jersey park.
Dulce’s father, Edgar Perez, is in Mexico, said her mother, Noema Alavez Perez, according to NJ.com.
Investigators say they have made contact with him, but declined to provide additional details, according to the outlet.
Investigators believe Dulce was abducted from the 1,000-acre Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16 as she played with her 3-year-old brother, Manuel, at a playground while their mother waited in a car.
Moments later, Manuel said his sister was gone, pointing toward several storage buildings nearby.
An Amber Alert was issued, and a combined $35,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to a break in the case.
Investigators suspect a light-skinned white or Hispanic male wearing orange sneakers, red pants and a black shirt abducted the kindergartner, driving off with her in a red van with tinted windows and a sliding rear passenger door.
Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae last week described the man as someone who could “greatly assist” the ongoing investigation, but stopped short of discussing his possible role in Dulce’s disappearance.
Detectives aren’t ruling out “any other car, any other person” in the search and are exploring all possibilities as few leads have materialized, she added.
Dulce is described as around 3 feet 5 with brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a yellow shirt with an elephant on it, black and white pants and white shoes.
Tips can be called in to the New Jersey State Police Missing Persons Unit at 609-882-2000, ext. 2554, or the Bridgeton police at 856-451-0033. Anyone with information can also dial 1-800-CALL-FBI and select option 4, followed by option 8.
