UPDATE: Missing Ogden girl and her cousins located safely, FBI confirms

UPDATE — The 14-year-old and her two younger cousins, 6 and 4, were located safely at approximately 9:30 p.m. Friday. The FBI said Mexican authorities located the three girls with the suspect, Antonio Moreno in Veracruz, Mexico. Moreno was issued a federal arrest warrant on charges including kidnapping. He was awaiting extradition to the U.S. as of Saturday. "The FBI would like to thank our law enforcement partners in Mexico and the FBI's Legal Attaché Office in Mexico City for their valuable assistance in this case," the FBI said. The original story continues below. 

OGDEN — The FBI confirmed a 14-year-old Ogden teen is missing along with her two young cousins. "(The girl) was last seen on June 30, 2024, walking with her two cousins, who are Mexican citizens. An Amber Alert in Mexico is currently active for all three girls. While the FBI is not the investigative authority regarding (her) cousins, we are working with our partners to locate them as we believe they are all together," a statement from the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office said. The FBI made their search for the 14-year-old public on Wednesday, July 10, requesting the public’s help in providing information on her whereabouts and digital communications. [gallery ids="660852,660850,660851"] However, during the press conference, FBI officials declined to answer any questions related to her cousins, 4 and 6 years old, including confirmation of their disappearance. “Those are details we can not discuss right now,” Special Agent Steven Hymas told reporters on Wednesday. https://ksltv.com/660244/the-worst-thing-fbi-ogden-mom-seek-help-in-locating-teen-who-went-missing-in-mexico-city/ All three girls were reported missing to local authorities in Mexico on June 30. The girl, a U.S. citizen, traveled to Mexico City on June 15 to spend time with her grandmother in the suburb of Azcapotzalco. She was scheduled to return on August 7. However, on June 30, she took her cousins, to get a soda at a neighbor’s “tiendita” (a family-run mini store) and never returned. “There is surveillance video of her getting into a taxi. We believe she was manipulated by an adult to get into that taxi and we have not seen her since,” Hymas told reporters on Wednesday. KSL TV also spoke with Alma Delia Zamora Vega, Sofia and Regina’s mother, on Thursday. Zamora-Vega lives in Mexico City and is frantically looking for her daughters and niece. “I feel devastated, I feel sick because I don’t know where my daughters are. I don’t know who they’re with,” Zamora-Vega said. Surveillance footage obtained by KSL TV on the day of the disappearance showed all three girls walking past several businesses and homes. According to Zamora-Vega, instead of walking towards the “tiendita” the girls walk in the opposite direction. In one video, she is seen holding her phone to her ear. Zamora-Vega said she has seen the surveillance video referenced by the FBI and it captures all three girls getting into a car. The ‘adult’ is an unknown man, according to Zamora-Vega. https://ksltv.com/660811/fbi-seeking-suspect-in-connection-to-ogden-teen-reported-missing-in-mexico-city/ “A car stops, a taxi. A person gets out, a man, and gets them into the car and then it leaves,” Zamora-Vega said, adding that there did not appear to be a struggle between the girls and the man. Zamora-Vega said she has not received any calls requesting a ransom. “Nothing. It has been silence.” According to Zamora-Vega, family members started looking for the girls within two hours of them leaving for the minimart. “It was a long time to go to the store since it’s on the street corner,” Zamora-Vega said. The Mexican Consulate in Mexico City also confirmed that Mexican authorities are working with the FBI. However, the office is not directly involved in the investigation as the incident happened on Mexican territory. A consulate official said Amber Alerts are active throughout Mexico for all three missing girls and last 72 hours before they need to be reissued.

About the missing girl

The girl's mother, Alma Delia Soreque, told reporters she spoke with her daughter a few hours before the disappearance, during the July 10 press conference, and described her as a “really good girl.” Soreque told reporters she is unable to travel to Mexico City and shared a personalized message to her daughter. In looking directly at the cameras, Soreque begged her daughter to “resist” and told her she would not stop looking for her. “(My daughter) if you see this video interview, you need to know that we love you,” Soreque said. Though the family lives in Ogden, Soreque's daughter had been attending Roy Middle School and was looking forward to her first year of high school, according to her mother. She is described as being 5 feet 1 inch tall, 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing dark blue jeans, a black hoodie, and black and white vans. Sofia, a Mexican national, is described as being 1.14 meters tall, with straight hair, brown eyes, brown hair, with a small birthmark on her left eyebrow. Regina, a Mexican national, is described as being .9 meters tall, with wavy hair, black hair, and brown eyes. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Salt Lake City Field Office at 801-579-1400 or tips.fbi.gov. You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Editor’s note: The names and photos of the missing girls were removed from this story after they were located, due to their age and safety.

Related topics