GLENDALE, Ariz. — It has now been two years since a Glendale teen went missing. Since then, there have been many false leads and little useful information for investigators to go on to find her.
Now, the family of Alicia Navarro is hoping new technology will finally point them in the right direction, in the direction of their daughter.
It started with a note
On Sept. 15, 2019, Jessica Nunez found a note that began her two-year nightmare.
Written in Alicia Navarro’s handwriting, the note read, “I ran away. I will be back, I swear. I’m sorry.” Since then, Nunez, Navarro’s mother, has been working tirelessly to find her.
Nunez has said her daughter, who was 14 at the time of her disappearance, is on the Autism spectrum and that running away was uncharacteristic for her.
“Since she went missing, I have not stopped. Neither has the community,” said Nunez.
Over the past two years, Alicia’s face and story have been shared on billboards, television, and social media. Nunez began using platforms like TikTok to keep her daughter on people’s minds.
“It’s been two years today and it’s very difficult,” said Nunez. “I’d say it’s difficult every day. I never thought it would be this long.”
Using tech to find those exploited by tech
Over the past year, Nunez befriended Kathleen Winn, the executive director of Project 25, a Tucson-based nonprofit that specializes in human trafficking cases.
Project 25 aims to assist law enforcement, who may not always have the resources to dedicate to cold cases like Navarro’s.
“We’ve brought in technologists who relook at the devices and other information that this case had and we’re hopeful that we can, with new eyes, discover some things that hopefully will lead us to finding Alicia,” Winn said.
Project 25 will look at all the devices that Navarro may have used before her disappearance, to see what kind of evidence they might be able to glean, that hasn’t been looked at.
“My hope’s that their technology will be able to locate where she’s at,” said Nunez.
Both the family and Project 25 suspect Navarro was coerced into leaving her home that September day by someone she met online -- a scenario Nunez is now trying to educate other parents on.
“I was one of those parents who thought that my daughter being at my home, she was safe,” Nunez said. “But apparently, I had strangers in my home, without me knowing, via technology.”
She now tries to teach others to know who their kids are communicating with online, just like they would in the physical world.
“I want parents not to judge me, but to learn from me,” said Nunez. “To get a little more educated on what is out there, what apps are being offered to our youth.”
If you have any information on the whereabouts of Alicia Navarro, you are asked to call Glendale Police at 623-930-3000, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). You can also call the Anti-Predator Project at 305-796-4859.
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