Dulce Alavez Has Not Been Forgotten
By Albert B. Kelly
At least since early March, which feels like a lifetime ago
as we get into May and head toward summer, it seems like all of our time and
attention has been focused in one way or another on this Covid-19 pandemic. How
could we think about anything else? This public health crisis and its many
impacts can easily crowd out any other thoughts or concerns because it touches
every corner of our lives.
I thought about this on multiple occasions walking through
City Park which is unusually quiet these days because of the pandemic and the
need for social-distancing. Taking my laps through the park, I think about Dulce
Alavez on a daily basis passing by the playground where this little girl was
last seen and stopping at a nearby tree- what I think of as a tree of hope-
selected as the place for the many tokens and mementos placed there in honor of
Dulce.
I’m glad that tree is there and I’m glad it reminds me. I
say that even as I have mixed emotions about those roadside memorials that dot
the landscape. Whether on a side street, a more heavily traveled road or a
major highway like Route 55, it is not uncommon to see photos, crosses,
flowers, teddy bears or any other number of tokens placed there by grieving
family and friends.
I have mixed emotions about those sites because you know a
tragedy happened there- somebody somewhere lost someone they loved whether
through an accident, an act of violence, an act of folly, or an act of God. You
also know that as time passes, things begin to fade whether memories or the
tokens themselves beaten down by the elements and the dirt and grim of an
untold number vehicles and too many seasons gone by.
But as far as Dulce, I remain confident and hopeful of
better things to come. I say that because Dulce has not been forgotten, nor has
she become less of a priority because the world’s attention has been focused on
Covid-19. I can say that Dulce’s
disappearance remains an active and on-going investigation.
It is true that in the age of Covid-19 the offices and
facilities of law enforcement are closed to the public, but it is also true
that investigators on multiple levels continue to actively investigate this
matter. The other thing that is true is
that investigators continue to receive tips from the public and every piece of
information received by law enforcement is investigated and weighed against
every other piece of information to see where it fits.
I can say with confidence that no piece of information is
ignored or dismissed because as law enforcement will tell you; it may be the
one piece of the puzzle investigators need to determine who is responsible for
the disappearance of Dulce. Our county and local law enforcement team keeps
Dulce, her family and the impact of her disappearance on our community as a
high priority prompting them to continue their work of locating Dulce and finding
out who is responsible for her disappearance.
As for our local police, several detectives are focused on
Dulce’s disappearance and they are looking at it from multiple angles. They
work on a daily basis with County Prosecutor’s team as well as with State and
federal law enforcement investigators assigned to Dulce’s disappearance. While
there are details that cannot be shared, I can say that law enforcement
agencies and investigators communicate with one another daily as it relates to
Dulce.
As I said previously, despite the world’s attention being
focused on this pandemic, investigators continue to receive tips and
information weekly and everything gets proper attention up and down the law
enforcement ecosystem whether local, statewide, or beyond. If you have
information that you have not shared yet with investigators, please call the
Bridgeton Police Department at 856-451-0033 and/or through TIP411 with
Bridgeton in the subtext.
Throughout an ordeal that I can scarcely imagine, I have a
new-found appreciation for the dedicated work of these professionals. There is
much care and attention coming from investigators that goes unseen and
unrecognized because that is the nature of the work. But I am close enough to
know that they take it personally and that they are fully invested. This matters
because while everyone’s attention is focused on the Covid-19 pandemic, Dulce
Alavez hasn’t been forgotten.