SAN ANTONIO – Suzanne Simpson isn't the only missing person in San Antonio. There are many and we are investigating them.
Last week the search continued for a 15-year-old boy who has been missing for almost a month.
According to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office, there are currently 42 open missing person cases in Bexar County.
According to SAPD, the number of active missing person cases is approximately 153. The number changes as people are found and reported missing.
We have attempted to request more detailed information on locating all of the missing persons, but have not received a response from SAPD or Bexar County.
We spoke with Paula Martinez, a missing persons search and support activist in San Antonio.
She talks about her search for answers in her mother's case.
“She had problems with her second marriage, left her second marriage and returned to Bexar County to live in October 2010,” Martinez said.
Pauline Diaz disappeared 14 years ago, on December 7, 2010. She was last seen leaving her job at HEB on Southeast Military Drive.
“I guess her estranged husband was threatening her to come back the whole time,” she said.
“My brother happened to come across my mom's truck, he was going to visit the estranged husband and that's where he happened to come across my mom's truck,” she added.
The family put up a billboard in Floresville and tips started coming in. To date there is only one person of interest in her mother's case and no arrest.
Martinez worries about the number of missing people in San Antonio. She says nonprofits and investigators need to work together, an alliance of sorts, to find those missing in our region.
“I think everyone can adjust to it and know exactly what's going on, and the pieces of this puzzle can probably fit together. And I think a lot of cases can be solved, along with a lot of time and a lower missing person rate,” she said.
According to SAPD, the Missing Persons Unit uses resources on a case-by-case basis because they are all different. When searching for a missing person, the unit looks at hospitals, among other places.
“Although our Missing Persons Unit has a dedicated investigator assigned to it, each time a missing person case is reported, it is assigned to a duty investigator who investigates and determines the critical circumstances that may exist in the case of that particular missing person.” said Johnny Garcia, public information officer for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.
The SAPD Missing Persons Unit also uses its technology to track people.
Officers and investigators reach out to other law enforcement agencies and other internal units such as homicide.
If they find a lead, they work closely with Alamo Search and Rescue.
Comments are closed.