Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,780
The views and opinions expressed in Cold and Missing are exclusively those of the hosts.
2
00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:18,400
All parties mentioned are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
3
00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,160
Cold and Missing also contains adult themes and languages.
4
00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,560
Listener discretion is advised.
5
00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,280
I'm your host, Ali McLaughlin-Sulkowski.
6
00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:29,680
And I'm your co-host, Eli Sulkowski.
7
00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,360
And this is Cold and Missing, where we cover cold cases and missing person cases.
8
00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,280
Hello everyone and welcome back to Cold and Missing.
9
00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,440
I'm your host, Ali, and it will just be me coming to you this week.
10
00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:47,440
Eli has some exciting audition opportunities, so he has to spend a lot of his free time
11
00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,160
focusing on some of his other work this week.
12
00:00:51,160 --> 00:00:55,440
But he will join us again in the future, I'm sure.
13
00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,800
But I wanted to get back on the podcast, get back into covering cases.
14
00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:01,040
We were off last week.
15
00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:06,840
It was Thanksgiving here in the U.S. of A. So we took the week off, had a lot of really
16
00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:11,800
great family moments, just got to do like the whole Thanksgiving thing.
17
00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:17,400
So I really appreciate everyone for granting us the week off, the week vacation.
18
00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:21,040
But here I am ready to bring you a new case.
19
00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:22,600
So let's just go ahead and get into it.
20
00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,840
This is episode 111.
21
00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:31,280
And just as a bit of a content warning at the top, this case does involve a young person.
22
00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:36,380
Today we are talking about the missing person case of Sofia Juarez.
23
00:01:36,380 --> 00:01:42,080
And this takes place in February of 2003 in Kennewick, Washington.
24
00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:44,560
But first, a little bit about Sofia.
25
00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:51,120
Sofia is a vivacious and spunky four-year-old, but she is on the cusp of turning five.
26
00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:54,880
She loves to put on makeup and play with her Barbie dolls.
27
00:01:54,880 --> 00:02:00,040
She often begs to go to Burger King for her favorite food, a hamburger.
28
00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,160
Sofia is her mother's only child.
29
00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:09,080
Maria, Sofia's mom, had Sofia young and at this time in 2003, Sofia's mom is only
30
00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,520
20 years old.
31
00:02:11,520 --> 00:02:16,840
Sofia and Maria live with Sofia's grandmother and with her boyfriend, who acted like a grandpa
32
00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:20,820
to Sofia, along with Sofia's uncles.
33
00:02:20,820 --> 00:02:25,520
But some of her uncles were young enough to be more like her brother or friend.
34
00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:31,480
The entire family lived in a cozy home on the 100 block of East 15th Avenue.
35
00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,200
The neighborhood is quiet and safe.
36
00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,640
Kids walk to school and will leave toys out in the front lawn overnight so that way they're
37
00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:41,280
ready to play with in the morning.
38
00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,240
Sofia is Hispanic.
39
00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:49,080
At this time in 2003, she is about three feet tall, weighs 33 pounds, has black hair and
40
00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:50,460
brown eyes.
41
00:02:50,460 --> 00:02:54,800
She was also missing her top four front teeth.
42
00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:58,480
And now, a timeline of events.
43
00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:02,680
On Tuesday, February 4th, 2003.
44
00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:06,280
It is the night before Sofia's fifth birthday.
45
00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:10,640
At about 7.45 p.m., she's playing with her uncle.
46
00:03:10,640 --> 00:03:16,800
Her uncle is 10 years old, so like I mentioned earlier, he was more like a brother or a friend.
47
00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,760
The two are hanging out watching TV in Sofia's room.
48
00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:26,520
Sofia is wearing blue overalls, a red long sleeve shirt, violet socks and white Converse
49
00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:27,940
shoes.
50
00:03:27,940 --> 00:03:30,920
She also had in small gold hoop earrings.
51
00:03:30,920 --> 00:03:36,180
Jose, her grandmother's boyfriend, who acted like a grandpa to her, was going to fill up
52
00:03:36,180 --> 00:03:41,120
his car with gas and then head to the Red Apple Market to get some milk.
53
00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,520
When Sofia heard, she begged her mom to go with.
54
00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,880
It was normal for Jose to take the kids with him to the store, and Sofia was especially
55
00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:51,840
good at talking him into buying her some candy.
56
00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:56,160
Maria gives Sofia permission to go with Jose and even gives her a dollar to buy a piece
57
00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:57,160
of candy.
58
00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,920
Jose leaves the house around 8 p.m.
59
00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:06,960
Jose stops to get gas, attempted to call family in Mexico from a payphone, and then went to
60
00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:09,600
the Red Apple Market to buy milk.
61
00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:13,760
While Jose is at the store, Sofia's grandmother comes back from running errands and picking
62
00:04:13,760 --> 00:04:17,120
up her other kids, and she asks where Sofia is.
63
00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,320
Maria tells her that she went to the store with Jose.
64
00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:24,920
Jose returns to the family home around 9 p.m. with a gallon of milk.
65
00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:30,280
When Maria asks where Sofia is, he said she never got in the car with him.
66
00:04:30,280 --> 00:04:34,560
He had no idea Sofia was supposed to be going with him to the store, so he left without
67
00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:35,560
her.
68
00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:40,120
The family begins searching the home for the little girl, searching in any spot where she
69
00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:41,120
would fit.
70
00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:46,840
But after 20 minutes with no sign of the girl, no matter how many times they called her name,
71
00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:52,460
the family decides at 920 to call police and report her missing.
72
00:04:52,460 --> 00:04:57,240
Police responding to the scene take her disappearance seriously from the beginning.
73
00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:02,980
They take Jose down to the police station for questioning, and he goes without complaint.
74
00:05:02,980 --> 00:05:06,920
Police left at the family home begin searching for the little girl, both around the house
75
00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,020
and around the neighborhood.
76
00:05:09,020 --> 00:05:12,200
Police bring in bloodhounds who were able to pick up a scent.
77
00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:16,800
The dog handler says, quote, We weren't able to find anything, but both dogs were
78
00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:21,040
able to tell where the trail apparently ended, end quote.
79
00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:26,000
The spot where the trail ended was along a fence some distance from Sofia's home.
80
00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,920
Police search through the night, but as dawn approaches in the early morning hours of Wednesday,
81
00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:36,240
February 5th, which should have been Sofia's fifth birthday, police regroup to come up
82
00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,040
with a plan.
83
00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:42,720
Police decided that they'll issue the first amber alert for the state of Washington.
84
00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:48,340
At 830 a.m., police send out an amber alert, which was a brand new system in the state
85
00:05:48,340 --> 00:05:50,920
of Washington at the time.
86
00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,880
Sofia's case is the first time it's used.
87
00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:58,540
Unfortunately, there were issues in the system that had not yet been worked out.
88
00:05:58,540 --> 00:06:03,960
The code that was sent to radio and television stations was the code used for floods, earthquakes,
89
00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:06,840
and other natural emergencies.
90
00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:11,480
No one who received the alert really knew what was going on, and the news about Sofia
91
00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,480
was slow to get out to the media.
92
00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:19,080
Other officers are trying to track down Sofia's biological father.
93
00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:24,360
He had never been in her life and told Maria when she found out she was pregnant with Sofia
94
00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:27,520
that he didn't want her to go through with the pregnancy.
95
00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:31,220
He threatened to hurt her if she kept the baby.
96
00:06:31,220 --> 00:06:37,460
Police are eventually able to locate him, and after some questioning and investigating,
97
00:06:37,460 --> 00:06:39,880
they are able to rule him out.
98
00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:44,180
Night falls on Sofia's fifth birthday without any sign of her.
99
00:06:44,180 --> 00:06:49,320
Police are checking every nook and cranny that Sofia could squeeze into, but still nothing.
100
00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,980
The temperatures drop to the mid-20s at nightfall.
101
00:06:52,980 --> 00:06:58,720
Police officially suspend the search for volunteers with a plan to start at 7 a.m. the next morning.
102
00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:03,120
Despite the search being suspended, several officers stay out looking through the night,
103
00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:07,680
and more local, state, and national police agencies are called in to help look for the
104
00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:09,480
little girl.
105
00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:14,900
In the second day of Sofia missing, Thursday, February 6th, the search resumes early the
106
00:07:14,900 --> 00:07:16,560
next morning.
107
00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:21,120
One of the searchers, Jody Norman, says, quote, we've looked everywhere.
108
00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:26,200
We've searched over fences, every backyard, garbage cans, crawl spaces, but we need to
109
00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,800
find her, to get her home.
110
00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:29,800
End quote.
111
00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:35,360
During the day, police do collect something as evidence that was found under a bush near
112
00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:40,560
the elementary school, but police stress that they don't have anything of importance.
113
00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:46,540
However, as the day wears on, the search is scaled back in the area surrounding the home.
114
00:07:46,540 --> 00:07:51,240
On Friday, February 7th, Sofia has been missing since Tuesday night.
115
00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:55,680
Sofia's family make an emotional plea for her safe return.
116
00:07:55,680 --> 00:08:00,880
Her mother, Maria, says, quote, I beg you please to return Sofia to her family.
117
00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:02,160
We really miss her.
118
00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:05,960
Whoever has my daughter, please return her to her mother.
119
00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:06,960
End quote.
120
00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,600
Sofia's 10-year-old uncle tries to speak to the crowd.
121
00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:16,440
He only got out the words, quote, we're missing, before breaking down into sobs.
122
00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:21,720
Police still have no suspects in her disappearance, but they have rolled out her family.
123
00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,920
They say, quote, we are here in support of the family and to help support them through
124
00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:31,600
this very, very difficult time, this nightmare for any mother and any family.
125
00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:36,160
No one in this family is suspected of any wrongdoing or doing anything wrong at all
126
00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:38,560
in relation to this missing child.
127
00:08:38,560 --> 00:08:39,560
End quote.
128
00:08:39,560 --> 00:08:44,640
It should be noted here that Jose is also cleared by police and is included as part
129
00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:47,520
of the family in this statement by police.
130
00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:51,760
Police begin refocusing their attention on running down all of the tips that have come
131
00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,880
in, now that her family has been rolled out as suspects.
132
00:08:55,880 --> 00:09:00,560
Police set up a special phone line for tips that will be manned 24 hours a day.
133
00:09:00,560 --> 00:09:05,720
On Monday, February 10th, it's approaching one week that Sofia has been missing.
134
00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:09,640
Police announced that they're looking for the driver of a van that was seen at Washington
135
00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:14,400
Street and 14th Avenue around the time that Sofia disappeared.
136
00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:19,360
The van is described as a light blue or silver mid 80s model.
137
00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:23,600
The van was a panel van with no windows along the body.
138
00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:28,440
Police say that they just want to talk to the driver, quote, it may or may not be connected.
139
00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,960
Any help in locating the vehicle will be appreciated.
140
00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:33,200
End quote.
141
00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:38,800
On Tuesday, February 11th, Sofia has been missing for one week now and police re-interviewed
142
00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:42,700
her uncle, who again is 10 years old.
143
00:09:42,700 --> 00:09:48,240
And this time he says that he saw Sofia walking down the driveway from the home with a man
144
00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:53,120
wearing a black sweatshirt with a hood, black pants and black shoes.
145
00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:56,640
He hadn't told police initially because he had been afraid.
146
00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:01,520
On Thursday, February 13th, Sofia has been missing for nine days.
147
00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:05,880
Police go back to Sofia's neighborhood and go door to door and ask their neighbors to
148
00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:07,700
look again.
149
00:10:07,700 --> 00:10:11,800
Police are really going over areas that they've already searched, just looking for any sign
150
00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:14,440
of Sofia that could have been missed.
151
00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:20,040
But at the end of the day, police are frustrated to report that there's still no sign of her.
152
00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:24,920
Police begin searching the Columbia River and they spend the next several days dragging
153
00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:28,840
the river and bringing in dive teams looking for any trace of the little girl.
154
00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,520
But again, nothing is found.
155
00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:37,720
In mid March of 2003, so Sofia has been missing for five weeks, Sofia's mom and grandmother
156
00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:43,080
plan to travel to Mexico to see if anyone there has information about Sofia.
157
00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:48,720
Police doubt that Sofia is there saying, quote, we don't have anything to suggest that Sofia
158
00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:51,200
is in Mexico, end quote.
159
00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,120
In mid May, Sofia has been missing for three months.
160
00:10:55,120 --> 00:11:00,320
Police say that they have new information that an orange van driven by a bearded man
161
00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:04,400
was seen in the neighborhood about the time Sofia vanished.
162
00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,160
Police are looking for the driver and the owner of the van.
163
00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:14,320
This van is described as a mid 1990s full size van that was faded orange and had no
164
00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:16,360
side windows.
165
00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:20,840
The van had a Washington license plate that included the letters JJ.
166
00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:27,160
The man is described to be about 35 to 40 years old with a thick blonde beard.
167
00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:32,440
In August of 2003, Sofia has been missing for six months.
168
00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:36,640
Sofia's mother Maria sits down with the local paper and says that she believes that
169
00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:43,960
Sofia's disappearance is connected to a family member in Mexico, not a stranger or a neighbor.
170
00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:48,560
Maria believes that Sofia is alive and well, but living in Mexico, which is why her and
171
00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:51,800
her mother want to travel there to look for her.
172
00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:55,800
Police are still hesitant to call Sofia's case an abduction since they don't have any
173
00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:58,600
evidence of a crime taking place.
174
00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:04,920
But by February of 2004, at the one year mark, police say that they are treating the disappearance
175
00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:11,840
as an abduction by a stranger, but they still have no real idea of what happened to Sofia.
176
00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:13,760
Her family misses her deeply.
177
00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:17,240
Her mother Maria says, quote, every day is hard.
178
00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:19,120
It's just not the same.
179
00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:21,240
She put a glow in the house.
180
00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:23,600
We don't know who took her or why.
181
00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:26,160
We know in our hearts that she is out there.
182
00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:27,240
End quote.
183
00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:32,720
In July of 2005, Sofia has been missing for two and a half years.
184
00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:37,440
Police serve a search warrant at a rundown farm.
185
00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:41,360
Volunteers bring in ground penetrating radar to go over the grounds to see if there's
186
00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:44,840
any disturbances that could suggest a body.
187
00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:47,240
Police take days searching the property.
188
00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:51,000
They bring in a backhoe to search any suspect spots.
189
00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,440
Police believe that she could be buried at the property.
190
00:12:54,440 --> 00:13:00,320
Ultimately, after days of searching, no human remains are found at the farm and no sign
191
00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:02,560
of Sofia is found there.
192
00:13:02,560 --> 00:13:07,500
During the course of Sofia's investigation, police often get the tip that Sofia is buried
193
00:13:07,500 --> 00:13:12,560
in Jump Off Joe Butte on the Horse Heaven Hills.
194
00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:17,980
The story being that she was hit by a driver who panicked and thought Sofia was dead.
195
00:13:17,980 --> 00:13:22,800
The driver takes her body and when she later begins to wake up, he panics and then actually
196
00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:23,800
kills her.
197
00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:28,480
He then buries her body off of Jump Off Joe Butte.
198
00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:34,040
In fact, the search of the farm is related to a tip about this urban legend, but police
199
00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:40,240
have never been able to find any connection to Sofia and these multiple stories about
200
00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:42,460
Jump Off Joe Butte.
201
00:13:42,460 --> 00:13:47,800
In January of 2009, it's been almost three years that Sofia has been missing and her
202
00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:50,200
mother Maria passes away.
203
00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:55,640
Maria was only 26 years old when she passed and the family decides to spread her ashes
204
00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,240
where Sofia was last seen.
205
00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:04,920
In May of 2021, so Sofia has been missing for over 18 years.
206
00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:07,520
Please give us some new information.
207
00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:13,120
The following comes from the police website directly about a witness back in 2003.
208
00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:19,200
It says, the witness observed the person described in detail below approaching the young female
209
00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:25,240
and lead her way towards a van that was occupied and stopped at the next side street.
210
00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:28,160
Sofia cried as the person left.
211
00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,400
The adult witness reported the incident to police the next day, immediately after seeing
212
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,920
media accounts of Sofia's disappearance.
213
00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:41,320
After viewing a photograph of Sofia, the witness confirmed the young female was Sofia.
214
00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:45,400
Police determined the witness to be highly credible.
215
00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:50,480
Police kept the suspect description confidential at the time due to active investigations being
216
00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,160
conducted on people of interest.
217
00:14:53,160 --> 00:15:00,840
A description of the van was released at the time resulting in 24 tips reported to police.
218
00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:05,280
Police currently believe the van and its occupants may be associated with the suspect who led
219
00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:07,600
Sofia away.
220
00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:13,320
Police obviously have a high degree of interest in the suspect and the suspect van.
221
00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:17,840
Anybody who has information on a person and van seen in the area of South Washington Street
222
00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:25,240
near East 15th Avenue between 8pm and 915pm on February 4th, 2003 is asked to contact
223
00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:26,760
the police.
224
00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:30,400
Police are also seeking information from the public on anybody who may have operated a
225
00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:35,560
similar type of van and either lived nearby, would have passed through the area at that
226
00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:40,760
time or driven by as any part of the regular route or routine.
227
00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,600
Police are interested in any information people may have regardless of how minimal it may
228
00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:46,100
be.
229
00:15:46,100 --> 00:15:50,200
Somebody out there knows what happened to Sofia or at least have suspicions about someone
230
00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,040
that may have been involved.
231
00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:57,480
Now is the time to come forward and help bring answer to Sofia's family and our community.
232
00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:01,640
The suspect description as provided by the witness is as follows.
233
00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:07,100
A Hispanic juvenile male estimated to be 11 to 14 years old at the time.
234
00:16:07,100 --> 00:16:13,400
At the time of occurrence described as being light complexioned about 5 foot or 5'2",
235
00:16:13,400 --> 00:16:18,600
believed to be chubby based primarily upon facial features, having a baby face with a
236
00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:21,120
possible mark on a cheek.
237
00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:26,520
Dark short wavy hair that was about 1.5 inches long that appeared greased that lay flat with
238
00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:31,640
bangs and possibly having big hands for a person his age.
239
00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:36,120
The suspect vehicle is light blue or silver or gray.
240
00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:43,000
Older 1970s to early 1980s type full bodied panel van with no visible side windows.
241
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,640
Had appearances of possibly being a work type of van.
242
00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:50,160
The type that contractors or painters may have used.
243
00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:54,440
This is not to imply that it would have been a contractor or painter's van.
244
00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,480
So that is all from the police website directly.
245
00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:03,540
In addition in 2021 a TikTok video surfaces of a woman that bears a striking resemblance
246
00:17:03,540 --> 00:17:08,580
to Sophia's age progress photo and she says that she's a kidnap victim.
247
00:17:08,580 --> 00:17:13,280
Police do track her down and get her DNA but ultimately she's ruled out that she is not
248
00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:14,560
Sophia.
249
00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:19,640
And then the last update I could find came in November of 2024.
250
00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:24,200
And really the update was just that there are no new updates.
251
00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:28,840
Police work every tip that comes in especially since they released that new information in
252
00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,920
2021 but none of those have led to Sophia.
253
00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:38,240
And that is all we know about the missing person case of Sophia Juarez.
254
00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:44,440
So if you know anything about the disappearance of Sophia Juarez or her whereabouts today
255
00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:53,160
please call special investigator Al Wenner at 509-582-1331.
256
00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:57,440
Or if you want to leave a tip online you can do that with a link that will be in our show
257
00:17:57,440 --> 00:17:59,100
notes.
258
00:17:59,100 --> 00:18:03,640
So that is the case of Sophia Juarez.
259
00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:09,920
And this case is one that I saw kind of floating around my social media in 2021.
260
00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:15,840
You know I had mentioned right there at the end of the timeline about that TikTok that
261
00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,840
got a lot of news and a lot of traction on social media.
262
00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:22,880
That's what I really saw happening and that's when I first really learned about Sophia's
263
00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:24,300
case.
264
00:18:24,300 --> 00:18:29,400
It does seem like Sophia's case at the time did get some national coverage and national
265
00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:33,120
attention but it was covered very heavily locally.
266
00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:38,960
So it did get to like America's Most Wanted and get some coverage on like big daytime
267
00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:40,340
talk shows.
268
00:18:40,340 --> 00:18:43,800
But extensively it was covered in the Washington area.
269
00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:47,560
And it was just a case that I did not know a lot about so it was something that I really
270
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:49,320
wanted to dig into.
271
00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:54,440
And overwhelmingly what I feel in this case is just tragedy.
272
00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:59,480
Like when I think about the events leading up to her going missing like the timing of
273
00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:06,940
everything it just seems like so deeply unfortunate that you know the night before her fifth birthday
274
00:19:06,940 --> 00:19:11,880
she hears an adult going to the store wants to go along wants to go for a ride an adventure
275
00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:14,460
get a little piece of candy.
276
00:19:14,460 --> 00:19:20,840
And so she asks but like the adult going to the store didn't know like to wait up that
277
00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:26,400
she wanted to come along that you know you should wait for her to get in the car so leaves.
278
00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:31,920
And then it seems like based off of everything I read that Sophia gets you know money from
279
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:37,380
her mom and permission to go and then kind of runs out the door to what everybody assumes
280
00:19:37,380 --> 00:19:43,760
is the car to go to the store but then she's just kind of out at the driveway and you know
281
00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:49,240
my heart breaks just like wondering what her next steps were which brings in a lot of the
282
00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:51,320
questions in this case.
283
00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:58,880
So her uncle does mention back in 2003 he does say it like about a week later but he
284
00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:04,440
says he sees somebody like leading her down the driveway dressed in all black.
285
00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:10,400
And that was only really mentioned like one time kind of briefly but then in 2021 we get
286
00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:17,360
this other witness description of seeing Sophia being led away kind of by what her uncle said
287
00:20:17,360 --> 00:20:22,840
like you know somebody leading her way she's crying and this other person is laughing.
288
00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:28,920
And this witness police felt was very credible you know that just like makes me really question
289
00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:33,800
like was was something always planned for this evening and this was just like a moment
290
00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:38,120
of opportunity you know because it sounded like there was a van waiting with somebody
291
00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:46,280
else in the van that this young adolescent 11 to 14 is how he's described leads Sophia
292
00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:52,860
to there so like was this all planned to take place that night or was this just like a crime
293
00:20:52,860 --> 00:20:58,840
of opportunity and like just you know these people were driving around like looking for
294
00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:04,680
something it just it brings up so many questions for me about like how could this have happened
295
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:14,120
like was this some plan or just some opportunity that was taken like how did this happen because
296
00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:20,680
this should have just been like a simple mistake of like oh he left without Sophia so she goes
297
00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:26,040
back inside disappointed she didn't get to go to the store but you know also like it
298
00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:30,760
should not have ended this way with her going missing so how did this get here it just it
299
00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:39,240
really boggles my mind in this case and also just the snafu with the amber alert you know
300
00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:44,840
Sophia's case being the first amber alert ever issued in Washington so the system had
301
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:49,800
some issues and the notice didn't go out as like a missing child it went out as like a
302
00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:56,680
natural disaster but because of that delay you know there was delay getting Sophia's
303
00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:00,400
story out there which kind of delayed this witness this witness didn't know that they
304
00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:07,040
had seen anything of like utmost importance until the next day when they see that the
305
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:13,280
girl they saw went missing so it's like if they had gotten that information sooner from
306
00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:20,520
the witness could anything have changed would anything have changed like it just makes you
307
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:30,360
wonder and why not give the description at the time you know in 2021 giving the description
308
00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:39,200
of the person seen leading Sophia away like that person was described between 11 and 14
309
00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:47,320
so today they would be in their 30s likely you know their mid-30s so it just makes me
310
00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:53,000
wonder if you know we got the description of the van early in 2003 but if we had maybe
311
00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:58,860
gotten that description of the suspect as well if more information could have come forward
312
00:22:58,860 --> 00:23:03,760
at that time it sounds like they did get some tips surrounding the vans but you know if
313
00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:10,200
they're still searching for whoever owned one in 2021 like I don't think they've ever
314
00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:15,400
pinpointed exactly who was driving the van that night that Sophia disappeared and then
315
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:21,280
there was also the orange van that they briefly brought up a few months after her disappearance
316
00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:27,200
and the man with the blonde beard if I could get answers to whatever I wanted I would just
317
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:31,680
want to know what happened with that was that ultimately ruled out yeah I would just be
318
00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:37,600
really curious about the orange van that was mentioned because we have the blue silver
319
00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:46,080
or gray van the mid 70s panel van but then there was also that faded orange one mentioned
320
00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:50,880
so I would just be curious what ended up happening there it was also so heartbreaking to learn
321
00:23:50,880 --> 00:24:02,080
that Sophia's mom Maria also died very young and never got answers which is like heartbreaking
322
00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:06,680
you know the family deciding to spread her ashes and like the spot that Sophia was last
323
00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:13,060
seen like how deeply she must have missed her daughter I can't even begin to imagine
324
00:24:13,060 --> 00:24:18,800
how deeply she must have missed her every single day but you know Sophia's uncles were
325
00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:24,560
young at the time in 2003 so they're still around they're still looking for answers in
326
00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:29,940
this case and I really hope that we're able to get answers for her family in what happened
327
00:24:29,940 --> 00:24:34,640
her and that she's able to come home one way or the other that she's able to come home
328
00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:41,920
and her family will know where she is of course we always want to see the miracle happen and
329
00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:49,760
for her to come home you know alive and well but if that can't happen then having the answers
330
00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:55,040
of what happened to this little girl and somebody answering for what happened to this little
331
00:24:55,040 --> 00:25:02,400
girl we should have those answers the family deserves those answers the community deserves
332
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:08,760
those answers and Sophia deserves those answers so I do hope we're able to get that and you
333
00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:13,740
know this case is worked a lot and I think police are going to keep at it investigators
334
00:25:13,740 --> 00:25:18,920
are going to keep at it the fact that I saw you know the police website updated as of
335
00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:23,880
November 2024 even though it wasn't anything new it just like kind of shows that they're
336
00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:29,680
thinking about it and working on it behind the scenes so I am hopeful that eventually
337
00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:36,680
we'll see something in this case and get some answers but again if you know anything about
338
00:25:36,680 --> 00:25:42,200
the disappearance of Sophia Juarez or her whereabouts today please call the special
339
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:51,760
investigator Al Wenner at 509-582-1331 and we'll also have a link to where you can leave
340
00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:57,680
a tip online as well in our show notes on our Instagram at cold and missing we're going
341
00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:02,960
to have pictures of Sophia as well as an age progress photo her age progress photo is her
342
00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:07,720
at 17 but in February of this year we're going to be coming up on like a big anniversary
343
00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:14,320
of Sophia being missing so I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some new age progressions of her
344
00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:19,760
coming in the next few months since we haven't gotten any since 2015 but we will have what
345
00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:24,480
is available on our Instagram at cold and missing and please if you're not following
346
00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:29,200
us there we've been getting lots of followers so thank you everybody for joining us we try
347
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:35,720
to post active missing person cases happening in real time just informational flyers in
348
00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:41,040
our stories try to keep up to date and if there's ever any reason that we need to take
349
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,840
a break from the podcast or we won't be able to get an episode out we always update the
350
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:49,760
Instagram to let you know what's happening thank you so much to everyone who's rated
351
00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:54,620
and reviewed we've had so many people reach out and like let us know that they're loving
352
00:26:54,620 --> 00:26:58,320
the podcast that they're rating it that they're reviewing it we're seeing that all come in
353
00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:04,880
so thank you thank you thank you so much it is overwhelming the positivity and it's like
354
00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:09,880
the kindness but thank you so much for being here for listening for telling your friends
355
00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:15,560
family whoever about the podcast like that that's worth its weight in gold so thank you
356
00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:21,240
so much for doing that I really appreciate it as the creator of the podcast but also
357
00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:26,760
for all these stories that we're telling like all these cases more people should know about
358
00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:34,600
them so thank you for doing that advocacy work and then on our website www.coldandmissing.com
359
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:40,040
we have all our episodes you can rate review us there as well and if you need transcripts
360
00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:43,520
because you or someone you love is hard of hearing you can find all our transcripts on
361
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:49,280
our website as well but thank you again so much for listening to cold and missing I'm
362
00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:56,800
your host Ali have a good week and stay safe y'all.
