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Mikiemoderator
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1660 posts
Mar-14-03, 11:22 AM (EST)
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"Amber Alert, Mariela Garcia"
 
   http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20030314-0231-missinggirl.html

Amber Alert issued for missing 12-year-old


SIGNONSANDIEGO NEWS SERVICES
2:31 a.m., March 14, 2003

SAN DIEGO – Authorities were on the lookout today for a 12-year-old Bay Area girl who could gave headed for Southern California with a 44-year-old man acquainted with her family, officials said.

Investigators believe Mariela Garcia was taken Tuesday morning from her Richmond, Calif., school by Marcelino Benitez and that the pair headed south – possibly to Mexico, said spokesman Jimmy Lee of the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department.

"It appears that (the girl) and Benitez had a relationship," Lee said. "He might have enticed her away," Lee said.

Mariela is Latina, 5 feet tall, 140 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, Lee said. She was last seen wearing a white top, blue jeans and possibly a blue jacket.

Benitez, who also goes by Marcelino Blanco, is Filipino, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 160 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes and glasses, Lee said, adding that he may be driving a brown two-door 1980 Datsun 200 ZX bearing front right-side damage with the license plate number 4XQT184.

Mariela was last seen about 8 a.m. at Helms Middle School in Richmond, but she did not attend class, Lee said. Her foster family reported her missing about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

After talking with relatives, investigators believe that Mariela is with Benitez, a man who associates with the family, Lee said. It was unclear if the two had a romantic relationship.

The girl was reportedly seen in Daly City, Calif., about 20 miles south of Richmond, about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Lee said.

Just after 1 a.m. today officials issued a statewide Amber Alert, said California Highway Patrol Officer Alex Gonzalez.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Mariela or Benitez was urged to call the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department at (925) 646-2441.



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Mikiemoderator
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Mar-14-03, 09:27 PM (EST)
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1. "RE: Amber Alert, Mariela Garcia"
In response to message #0
 
   http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2003/03/14/amberalert.DTL


Amber Alert issued for Richmond girl

Bay City News Report Friday, March 14, 2003

A man suspected of abducting a 12-year-old girl near Richmond on Tuesday may be headed to Southern California or Mexico, authorities said shortly after issuing a statewide Amber Alert Thursday night .

Mariela Garcia, 12, was dropped off at Helms Middle School around 8 a.m. on March 11 and never showed up to class.

Her foster family reported her missing more than 24 hours later, around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Contra Costa County Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee.

He said it remains unknown why they didn't make the report earlier.

Authorities say the girl was last seen in a brown Datsun 200ZX with the suspect, 44-year-old Marcelino Benitez, who is described as an "associate" of the girl's biological family, according to Lee.

"He might have enticed her to leave with him,'' he said. "There's no way a 12-year-old girl would volunteer to go with a 44-year-old man.''

Lee said the girl had known Benitez for some time, adding that the nature of their relationship remains unclear.

Someone claimed to have seen the girl in Daly City this week, and Lee said sightings had been reported by early Friday from San Francisco and San Bernardino County in Southern California.

The suspect is descriped as a Filipino man, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds. He reportedly wears glasses and has brown hair and brown eyes. His car may have front, right-side damage and the license plate is 4XQT184, police said.

Mariela, the missing girl, is described as Hispanic, 5 feet tall, weighing 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a white top, jeans and possibly a blue-colored jacket.




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Mikiemoderator
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Mar-15-03, 11:02 AM (EST)
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2. "Suspect And Victim Pictures"
In response to message #1
 
  


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Mikiemoderator
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Mar-15-03, 09:21 PM (EST)
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3. "Found!"
In response to message #2
 
   LAST EDITED ON Mar-15-03 AT 09:24 PM (EST)
 
I heard on the radio this afternoon that these two were found. Their car broke down on the freeway. A sharp driver, aware by the Amber Alert signs on the freeway, picked them up and took them to his apartment, where he called police and they were taken to police headquarters somewhere in southern California.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2003/03/15/girl.DTL

Richmond girl found safe

Bay City News Report Saturday, March 15, 2003

A Richmond girl allegedly abducted by a 44-year-old man this week has been found in Los Angeles alive and well, authorities said today.

The suspect was arrested by the California Highway Patrol around midnight after an East Los Angeles resident saw the car described in Amber Alert messages broadcast across the state, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

Marcelino Benitez, suspected of abducting 12-year-old Mariela Garcia near Richmond on Tuesday, may have been headed to Mexico, authorities had said shortly after issuing the Amber Alert Thursday night.

Mariela was dropped off at Helms Middle School around 8 a.m. on March 11 and never showed up to class.

Her foster family reported her missing more than 24 hours later, around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, according to Jimmy Lee, a spokesman for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office.

Lee said it remains unknown why they didn't make the report earlier.

The girl was last seen in a Datsun 200ZX with Benitez, who is described by authorities as an "associate'' of the girl's biological family, according to Lee.

"He might have enticed her to leave with him,'' he said. "There's no way a 12-year-old girl would volunteer to go with a 44-year-old man.''

Lee said the girl had known Benitez for some time, adding that the nature of their relationship remains unclear.



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