6 years later, fake social media post reignites pain in still-missing Dulce Maria Alavez case

✅ Prosecutor says reports that Dulce Maria Alavez’s body was found are untrue

✅ AI is being used to take a fresh look at evidence in the case

✅ $75,000 reward remains for information in the case that leads to an arrest

BRIDGETON — A social media post claiming the body of Dulce Maria Alavez was found is false.

Dulce went missing while playing with her brother inside a Bridgeton public park in Oct. 2019. Her mother was sitting in a parked car, helping her niece with homework and scratching lottery tickets. She has never been found, despite the national attention given to her disappearance.

Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said that a social media post, which has been widely shared, claiming her body had been found by hunters, is not true and the investigation is still active.

“Please be advised that these reports are not confirmed and are untrue. No one has reported finding remains at this time,” Webb-McRae said on her office’s Facebook page. She has been leading the investigation since the first day.

ALSO READ: Hero cop plunges into icy NJ lake to save a dog

FBI tip line and $75,000 reward still in place

On the sixth anniversary of Dulce's disappearance, Webb-McRae said that investigators remain committed to locating her and finding out why she went missing. The State Police Special Investigations Section has been working with detectives to review all evidence with the help of AI to develop new leads.

"This investigation is like a large puzzle. There are missing puzzle pieces. We don't know their significance or where they fit in the puzzle until the pieces have been collected. Anyone who was in the park on the day of Dulce's disappearance may have the puzzle piece that breaks this case wide open," McRae said.

Information about Dulce Maria Alavez's disappearance can be submitted to the FBI's Toll-Free Tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) and select option 4, then select option 8.

A $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible still stands. The money was put up by several people and organizations, including Dr. Phil McGraw, who added to the reward after an interview on his TV show.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom