The FBI is asking the public to help locate a Utah teen who went missing last month while visiting family in Mexico.
Elizabeth “Ellie” Gonzalez, 14, of Ogden, went missing June 30 while visiting her grandmother in Mexico City, FBI Special Agent Steven Hymas said at a press conference Wednesday.
Surveillance camera footage showed Gonzalez getting into a taxi, but she has not been seen since. Investigators say they believe she was “manipulated by an adult” into the taxi.
Gonzalez, a U.S. citizen, had originally traveled alone to Mexico on June 15 and was scheduled to return on Aug. 7. The FBI was notified on July 1 that the boy was missing.
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According to the FBI, Elizabeth “Ellie” Gonzalez, 14, went missing while visiting family in Mexico City. (FBI)
Hymas said an Amber Alert had been issued in Mexico.
“We have no reason to believe she is not in Mexico at this time,” he said. “We believe there are people here (in Utah) who have information. Maybe they’ve reached out to friends or acquaintances or other family members who know something that can help us.”
Hymas said the FBI is working with Mexican authorities on the case, noting that the bureau has no authority in Mexico and “has to rely on our partners.”
“Because this incident occurred in Mexico, where the FBI has no jurisdiction, Mexican law enforcement will be leading this important investigation,” Fox News contributor and former FBI agent Nicole Parker told Fox News Digital. “However, rest assured that the FBI Leggatt Office in Mexico City and the Assistant Legal Aid Office (ALAT) will not stop investigating until she is found.”
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Elizabeth “Ellie” Gonzalez, 14, has been missing since she disappeared in Mexico City on June 30th. (FBI)
“I have worked cases involving Mexico,” she added, “and I can unequivocally testify that FBI Legat/ALAT Mexico City has a proven track record of working tirelessly around the clock to rescue missing U.S. citizens and solve other complex and violent crimes, and I believe this case will be no exception.”
Gonzalez’s mother, Alma Sorek, told reporters that she last spoke to her daughter the morning she went missing. They talked about how Gonzalez slept and what she would have for breakfast. Later that day, she said, she got a call from the family saying they were heading to the store to buy a soda.
Sorekue said she contacted authorities as soon as she heard Gonzalez had not returned.
“It’s the worst story a mother wants to hear,” Sorek said, adding that her daughter’s disappearance is “one of my worst nightmares.”
Gonzalez was the middle child of three children and had just finished the seventh grade at Roy Middle School, her mother said, describing her daughter as “intelligent” and “caring.”
Aerial view of Mexico City (Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Solecué said Gonzalez was visiting her family to experience more of her culture and roots, and that she had visited Mexico City before and never had any problems.
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Parker said Gonzalez may not be able to contact his loved ones.
“It is believed that Elizabeth was lured into a car in Mexico,” she said. “If that’s the case, it may be possible to stop her from going out unattended. However, kids are smart, and if there is a way for her to contact someone about her whereabouts, she will do so.”
