BRIDGETON, N.J. (WPVI) — Tuesday marks six years since Dulce Maria Alavez vanished from Bridgeton City Park, and investigators say they remain committed to solving the case.
RELATED | Mother of Dulce Maria Alavez expresses regret, defies critics one year after child vanished
Dulce was 5 years old when she was last seen playing with her younger brother on the afternoon of Sept. 16, 2019. Her mother, Noema Alavez Perez, stayed in her car nearby with her younger sister. Moments later, Dulce was gone.
Surveillance video shows the last known images of Dulce Alavez before she went missing.
While marking the anniversary, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said the New Jersey State Police have begun using artificial intelligence in hopes of uncovering new clues.
TIMELINE: The search for 5-year-old Dulce Maria Alavez
“Our commitment to uncovering the truth has never wavered-we will never forget, and we remain steadfast in our mission to bring closure to the family,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.
The FBI believes Dulce’s abduction may have been a random crime of opportunity.
“We believe there are witnesses out there who saw the abductor, who saw the vehicle in the area of the park,” said FBI Special Agent Daniel Garrabrant in a 2020 interview with Action News. “They either haven’t come forward because they’re afraid or don’t realize how important the information is.”
Authorities have released several age-progression images of Dulce, the most recent in 2023.
Age-progression photos released Thursday (left) and Wednesday (right) show what Dulce Maria Alavez could look like today.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
No arrests have been made in the case. About a month after her disappearance, police released a sketch of a man who remains a person of interest. He was described as a Hispanic male, approximately 5-foot-7, slender build, age 30 to 35, wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and a white baseball-style hat.
On October 15, 2019, nearly a month into the case, police released a composite sketch of a person who may have information on Dulce Maria Alavez’s disappearance.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office at www.ccpo.tips, the New Jersey State Police Special Investigations Section at 1-833-465-2653, or the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). If you speak Spanish, you can call 856-207-2732.
“This investigation is like a large puzzle,” Webb-McRae said. “There are missing puzzle pieces. We don’t know their significance or where they fit until the pieces are collected.”
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.