Age-progression image of missing NJ girl criticized — new version released

BRIDGETON — Authorities this week released two separate age-progression images of a girl who went missing from a city party two years ago after the first image was criticized for being inaccurate.

Dulce Maria Alavez was last seen at the age of 5 at Bridgeton City Park on Sept. 16, 2019. Investigators have not turned up any substantial indication of where she may be.

“We are releasing the second photo in an attempt to maximize our opportunity to obtain information from the public about possible sightings," Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae and Bridgeton Police Chief Michael Gaimari said in a joint statement.

The age progression image created by National Center for Missing & Exploited Children gives Dulce a slightly younger look of what she could look like at age 7 than the image released on Wednesday.

Webb-McRae and Gaimari said there is no evidence to suggest her demise and said the case will remain open until they can determine who is responsible for her disappearance.

A Silent Walk for Dulce

During a "silent walk"  held in Bridgeton on Thursday to mark the anniversary, her mother Noema Alavez Perez told Fox 29 she doesn’t see her daughter in the images.

"I don’t want people giving up on my daughter, I want my daughter found I want people that know something to talk because it’s been too long,” she told Fox 29.

The walk went from Bridgeton police headquarters to the prosecutor's office to Dulce's Tree & Garden inside the park silently to focus on the girl instead of all the online discussion and disagreement about the case.  Participants wore yellow shirts with elephants to represent the color of the shirt she was last seen wearing and the stuffed animal she was carrying.

"I think it went very well and hopefully we light the way for Dulce to come home," organizer Anna Donnelly said.

Donnelly said that she hopes to keep up awareness of Dulce with more searches and getting a banner into the Vineland, Millville and Bridgeton Christmas parades.

A $75,000 reward is still being offered for information leading an arrest in disappearance.

Information can be called into the prosecutor's office at 856-453-0486, New Jersey State Police at 609-882-2000 X 2554, the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Select option 4, then option 8 or Bridgeton Police at bpdops.com/tips.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ