PHOENIX — An Arizona father is asking the public for help as he searches for his daughter. Liliana Munguia, 17, was last seen on home security footage on Aug. 5 around 1:30 a.m. leaving her family home in the Gila River Indian Community.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Padre de Arizona busca a su hija en Iowa y según las autoridades, se fue para encontrarse con una persona que conoció por Internet
She then purchased a flight and flew from Mesa to Des Moines where officials said she was going to meet an older man she met online.
“I'm worried I won't be able to see her grow up to be the beautiful daughter, the beautiful woman that she's becoming, that everybody is so proud of," said Juan Munguia, Liliana's father.
The FBI has put out an alert seeking the public's help in finding Munguia.
'We love her very much and we really, really want her home.'
Juan has a hard time putting into words just how much he and his family miss his daughter.
“We're worried that she's in danger. We're worried that that it's raining. We're worried that she doesn't have somewhere to put her head down tonight. I'm worried that she's not eating. I'm worried that that she might not even be able to see this broadcast," Juan said.
Juan isn't sure how she met the individual officials believe she is with or how long they had been in communication.
“She spoke to them and she's been speaking to them for quite some time and she must have made plans with them, or I can't, I can't imagine what headspace she was in, but she ended up boarding a plane in Mesa, Arizona, and she made her way out to Iowa," Juan said.
Airport cameras captured Liliana in Iowa. Her last communication with family members was on Wednesday.
As soon as her father caught wind she was in Iowa, he packed up his car and drove there.
He's been frantically searching for her on foot.
“I'm just scared that she doesn't have a phone, or she may not have a device with her and she might not have any way to get a hold of us anymore," Juan said. “I really wish I just had the opportunity to sit with her and have a heart to heart. I wish I could just sit next to her and and just tell her how much she's very loved.”
Juan said Liliana, or Lily, wants to be a teacher and describes her as loving and has a passion for helping those in need. He said she has made rosaries for those around her, including the one he is wearing as he searches for her.
“I'm just going to keep walking around and talking to people until somebody tells me, 'Yeah, I saw her' and immediately go there and hopefully bring my daughter home," Juan said.
Lily is 5'2" with long black hair and brown eyes. She has a mole on the left side of her neck and was last seen wearing a pink tank top and black and maroon Deadpool pajama pants.
As the Gila River Police Department, Des Moines Police Department and the FBI continue to search for Lily, her father has a message for her.
“We're all behind her and we're all supporting her and we just want her back. It's dangerous out there, but we love her very much and we really, really want her home," Juan pleaded.
If you have any information about Liliana or her whereabouts, contact the FBI's Phoenix Field Office at 623-466-1999. You can also submit a tip online here.
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