UPDATE 04/17/23: On Monday, deputies said Alinka Castaneda was found. "Thank you to the public, the media, Aero Bureau, and deputy personnel for their tireless efforts in the search for Ms. Castaneda," the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.
CARSON, Calif. (KNX) - The city of Carson is set to approve a $100,000 reward this week for information leading to the return of a missing 16-year-old girl.
Alinka Castaneda was last seen Jan. 1, 2023 at 5 a.m. in the 23000 block of S. Caroldale Avenue. Officials said she was last seen going into an unknown car. Her belongings, including her purse and cell phone, were left at home.
Retired LAPD detective Moses Castillo, who is doing a private investigation for the family told KNX News the teen was abler to make a few phone calls.
“Her sister received two phone calls about three weeks after she went missing about two hours apart from each other,” he said.
“The first phone call she said, ‘I don't know where I'm at. They don't let me go.’ It was a very brief phone call.”
Castillo added he traced the call to the Venice area. He said the family got another call from her.
“Alinka told the mom that ‘they're letting me leave. Go pick me up at 10 p.m. at Union Station,’” he said. “So the parents…they raced down to Union Station and waited for her for six to eight hours and no signs of Alinka.”
“Her cell phone is at home…we do believe and we're horrified just thinking that she may be human trafficked,” he said.
Anyone with any information regarding her whereabouts is urged to contact the Carson Sheriff’s substation.
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