Family, community gather at Bridgeton City Park as search for Dulce Maria Alavez continues 1 year later

FOX 29's Kelly Rule has the story.

Bridgeton, N.J. - Wednesday marks one year since Dulce Maria Alavez went missing from a park in Bridgeton, New Jersey.

Despite the passage of time, family and community members are still holding out hope she will be returned home safely.

Dulce Maria Alavez's mother spoke to FOX 29 during a vigil at Bridgeton City Park.

“They were going to the park and I was scratching the lottery ticket and helping my sister with her homework. Ten minutes past and we didn’t saw them,” Noema Alavez Perez said. “I couldn’t find her so I went everywhere to look for her. I didn’t want to believe she was missing.”

Perez says she believes her daughter, who is now 6, is still alive and will not stop searching until she is found.

“I love her and miss you a lot and I’m not going to stop until I find you and you get home for us,” she said.

One year since her disappearance, police say there's still no sign of Dulce Maria Alavez.

Dulce Maria Alavez was last seen near Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16, 2019.

Dulce Maria Alavez went missing while playing on the swings with her little brother at Bridgeton City Park on September 16, 2019. Later, her brother returned alone to their mother, who was sitting in a car nearby.

The reward for information leading to Dulce's whereabouts stands at $75,000.

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