Part 3 of the Series
Intro
Having a child go missing is a nightmare that parents fear, the pain of it is simply unimaginable. When it comes to missing children, BIPOC girls ages 13-16 are disproportionately missing. These cases often get less media attention and often take longer to solve since many BIPOC kids are labeled as runaways. When it comes to categorizing missing people the US has a long way to go. One case that has brought some attention to the requisites for missing people alerts, such as Amber or Silver alerts, is the case of Alicia Navarro.
On Sunday, September 15, 2019, a nightmare became a reality for Jessica Nuñez, a mother from Glendale, Arizona. That day Jessica awoke to find that her fourteen-year-old austistic daughter, Alicia Navarro, had disappeared during the night. Alicia left a final note behind in her bedroom for her mother to find. The note read: I ran away. I will be back, I swear. I’m sorry. As of the publishing of this article Alicia has been missing for over two years. During these two years Jessica has not stopped searching for her daughter and is using all available resources and platforms to spread her story.
Alicia’s Story
On Saturday, September 14, 2019, the day prior to her disappearance, Jessica and Alicia had a great day together. Alicia and Jessica had gone out to a chocolate factory and Jessica recalls that Alicia had had a great time. There was no indication that she may have been worried or upset about anything, it was quite the opposite. That night Jessica reminded Alicia to not stay up too late before seeing her daughter off to bed. Unbeknownst to her that would be the last time she would lay eyes on Alicia.
On the morning of September 15, as the family prepared breakfast, Jessica wondered what was keeping Alicia from coming down. She also noticed the back door of her home slightly ajar. When she inspected the backyard she discovered a stack of chairs and cinder blocks piled against the back wall of the yard. They gave the impression that someone had stacked them in order to get over the wall. It was then she went up to Alicia’s room and found her daughter gone. The only items missing were Alicia’s phone, her laptop, and a small backpack.
The following hours and days were full of pain, fear, and frustration. Jessica contacted the authorities and immediately began her own search for Alicia along with the help from friends, family, and police. Alicia’s autism made her disappearance even more dire. Despite the note that seems to indicate that Alicia willingly left home, her autism means that she struggles with social interactions, communication, and caring for herself properly. According to a study conducted by the University of South Carolina in 2019, children on the autism spectrum face a higher risk of being abused and mistreated. This makes Alicia especially vulnerable as she may not understand social cues that indicate danger.
Alicia’s autism is one reason that Jessica pushed hard to have the authorities send out a silver alert. A silver alert is issued in two circumstances- when a person over 65 goes missing or when a person who is cognitively impaired goes missing. Since Alicia was 14 at the time authorities were hesitant to issue this alert but Jessica’s refusal to give up led Arizona DPS to issue the alert. Alicia became the first minor in history to have a silver issued for them. Given what was known of the situation at the time, Alicia did not qualify to have an Amber alert issued on her behalf. Currently, some non-profits such as the Anti-Predator Project are looking at how to address this issue and pushing for reform. When it comes to missing kids, time is everything. The sooner an alert can be made the better.
Despite various tips coming in regarding Alicia’s disappearance, none have led to a solid lead. Jessica, however, does have a theory regarding Alicia’s disappearance given that her daughter had a very active online life. Since Alicia was a frequent user of Minecraft, Roblox, and Discord, she had many online friends. Jessica believes Alicia was lured out of her home by an online “friend” that gained her trust. Given Alicia’s autism she would be especially vulnerable to falling prey to people with malicious intentions online. It’s unfortunately believed that Alicia may be a victim of human trafficking. Many girls are lured out through online platforms that promise them fame, money, friendships, etc. For a girl who found real life social interaction difficult, getting close to someone online and then having the opportunity to meet them in real life may have been irresistible.
Ultimately, Alicia’s story points to a bigger issue that many parents are being challenged with. With online communities stronger and bigger than ever before, how do we keep children safe? Currently, meeting people online has become very common for people of all ages and even adults struggle with discerning between who is lying and who is telling the truth. The pandemic has only made this challenge bigger since we are spending more time online than ever before. For kids who spend extended time online, understanding that the online world is just as dangerous and filled with strangers as the real world is really important. Having parents be actively involved in knowing their child’s online life is important and necessary to keep kids safe. The Department of Justice has a page that offers tips to parents on this subject but other organizations like Common Sense Media are solely dedicated to breaking down the ins and outs of the internet for parents and educators. The bottom line here is if kids have access to the world online then anyone in the world has access to those kids, knowing what kids are up to and talking to them about it is necessary for their safety.
As of the publishing of this article, Alicia has been missing for over two years. Her case is now considered cold but Jessica holds out hope and continues the search for her daughter. She is very active on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, using the platforms to spread awareness of her daughter’s disappearance. She hopes that one day, hopefully soon, her daughter will return home.
For more information on missing children visit:
https://www.antipredatorproject.org/
https://www.missingkids.org/HOME
If you have any tips regarding Alicia Navarro please contact the Glendale Police Department- 623-930-3000.
You can follow Jessica Nunez on the following platforms:
TikTok: @FindAliciaNavarro
IG: @jessica_nunez_77