Post by Scumhunter on Jan 16, 2014 13:16:48 GMT -5
(above photo credit: kpho.com)
The case of missing six-year old (who would now be eight) Isabel Celis was aired twice on AMW on Lifetime in 2012. The following is a new article about the case:
"Dozens of police officers knocked on doors in a Tucson neighborhood Wednesday in hopes of finding new information in an investigation of a 6-year-old girl who was abducted more than 18 months ago.
The door-to-door effort by about 50 officers in Isabel Mercedes Celis' neighborhood wasn't prompted by new leads. Instead, it was intended to seek out information that might not have been revealed when investigators first flooded the area after the child's April 2012 disappearance, police spokesman Sgt. Pete Dugan said.
"It's a reconnect to see if there is anything new out there," Dugan said.
Authorities have been searching for the girl since her father reported her missing. Family members have said they last saw her in her bedroom the night before. A window was later found open with the screen pushed aside.
A neighbor said she heard her dogs barking and male voices outside her bedroom window around 6:30 a.m. on the day the girl was reported missing. The neighbor said there were no sounds that indicated a struggle.
The girl's mother, Rebecca Celis, said she was pleased that police were still investigating her daughter's disappearance. "We are happy they are trying to get new eyes on the case," the mother said.
Police have declined to say whether they have a suspect in the case or whether the child is believed to still be alive. No arrests have been made.
They believe the girl was abducted but haven't concluded whether it was done by a stranger or someone known to the family. Still, police say whoever is responsible for the abduction had knowledge of the home's layout.
About a month after the child's disappearance, police revealed that her father, Sergio Celis, had been barred from have contact with the girl's two older brothers, but they did not say why.
Police spokesman Sgt. Chris Widmer said he didn't know whether Celis' father is still forbidden from having contact with his sons. The state's child welfare agency declined to comment on the case.
Sergio Celis didn't immediately return calls seeking comment late Wednesday afternoon.
In the weeks after the disappearance, authorities had searched for the child in a 3-square-mile area around her home, including ponds, dry streambeds and empty houses. They also searched her house, but records of that search have been sealed by a judge.
The latest police canvass of Celis' neighborhood began at midday Wednesday and will probably continue through Saturday.
"This has been an investigation that has never stopped," Dugan said."
Thoughts? I know a lot of suspicion has been placed on Isabel's father, and I know it's not that hard to stage a break-in, but the window being open with the screen cut is not that far-fetched to believe she was abducted to me. Stranger abductions in the middle of the night have happened, as we saw with Elizabeth Smart. Obviously, parents are always looked at first out of procedure whether police are suspicious or not, but just because a parent may not be a model citizen doesn't mean they did anything to their children. According to all accounts, Isabel's parents have been cooperative and haven't done anything to warrant criticism that they aren't trying to find her like we see with some other missing child cases.
I'm not saying the father's innocent here, but I am saying no one can say if he is innocent or guilty if no one even knows where Isabel is, and it annoys me when internet posters play armchair detectives and just assume guilt. "Father did it, case closed." Based on what? That him and his son's don't have the best relationship means he killed his six-year old daughter? Sure, interview the parents again if need be, but in my opinion, the important thing is to find Isabel first, and nothing should be assumed until she's found.
www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/16/isabel-celis-abducted_n_4609053.html
www.hlntv.com/article/2012/04/23/6-year-old-reportedly-vanished-bedroom
web.archive.org/web/20120428030839/http://www.amw.com/missing_children/brief.cfm?id=79914
*****UPDATE*****
Sadly, the remains of Isabel Celis were found in Tucson during the month of March, 2017. Her death was officially ruled a homicide in October of 2017. Based on past articles, our advice for anyone with information on Isabel's case would be to call the Pima County Attorney's Office Crime Stoppers line at (520) 88-CRIME.
*****UPDATE*****
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