BRIDGETON, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — For Dulce Maria Alavez’s family, this is the third December without her.
On Sept. 16, 2019, the then 5-year-old was abducted from Bridgeton City Park in South Jersey. Investigators have been searching for her ever since.
Her family and volunteers visited the park Sunday night, where they set up and decorated a Christmas tree for Dulce. They gave it a winter wonderland theme, in the spirit of Dulce’s favorite movie, “Frozen.”
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Dulce’s mother, Noema Alavez, said the goal is to keep people’s minds on the search, “so they don’t forget about my daughter.”
“By looking at the tree, I hope they will say something or somebody will pass by it and be like, ‘Oh, I remember her,’ ” she added.
Along with the bright lights, the group came together for prayer, dance and song, sung by Victoria Crespo.
“Being able to do something for somebody even though they don’t see it — it’s not all about the show,” said Crespo.
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Volunteers are hoping to pull together more search parties and comb through more nearby areas in the hopes of finding Dulce.
“I have children of my own,” said Elena Mercado, a volunteer who helped organize the tree lighting. “I couldn’t imagine at all feeling what Noema has been having to go through the past two years.”
