On May 29, Diana Alvares was kidnapped from her Lee County home. 90 days later her pictures are still plastered on billboards across the state, but the case has gone cold.
Her mother making a plea this afternoon for anyone with information to call and help reunite her with her daughter.
“Please don’t forget about my daughter who is still missing,” Rita Hernandez said through a Spanish translator.
Lee County investigators arrested Jorge Guerrero in connection with the case. Guerrero has not been charged in Diana’s disappearance but is being held on state and federal charges for possession of child pornography. Guerrero’s cell phone records, according to court documents contained multiple images of child pornography, a charge he is now being held on. It's unknown if the 9-year-old is in the photos.
Tom Busatta, the family attorney, said that investigators have not exhausted every resource to find Diana.
“(We thought) Mexican federal judicial police did a follow up and spoke to the father in his village that request was done through the FBI through their Mexico City office, that actually didn't happen, through a miscommunication so no one has contacted the father his village and no one has actually been there to see what is going on and if in fact Diana is there, that gives them a hope,” Busatta said.
Busatta also said there is new “evidence sent to the FBI lab for scientific testing,” but would not comment further on what that evidence is. The family has also hired a private investigator to talk to Guerrero’s family members, who Busatta says, are being uncooperative with the investigation.
“Someone knows where Diana is,” Busatta said. “People are protecting him.”
Documents show that authorities reviewed Guerrero’s cell phone records, which show on the evening of May 28, 2016 he left his residence in Orlando and headed to the Fort Myers area. The phone records also show he was near the home of Diana Alvarez between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. on May 29, 2016 - the day she was reported missing by her parents. Guerrero then left Fort Myers early in the morning of May 29, 2016 and headed towards Okeechobee spending several hours near Yee-Haw Junction.
Osceola County also helped conduct searches in Central Florida to assist the Lee County Sheriff's Office. However, police will not confirm whether that search is related to the missing girl.
“If somebody has my daughter Diana if you see this please let me know where you are Diana,” Uribe Jimenez, Diana’s stepfather said.
Family members have been interrogated by investigators for several hours. Jimenez even took a lie detector test.
“Please don’t forget about my daughter,” Hernandez said.
