No new leads in search for missing 12-year-old Maria Gomez-Perez: GA sheriff

Authorities followed tips from several states, but nothing led them to 12-year-old Maria Gomez-Perez, who had been missing from her Georgia home for a month.

June 28, 2024, 11:49 a.m. EDT | Update June 28, 2024 11:50 a.m. EDT

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Thursday marked the fourth week that Maria Gomez-Perez has been missing without a trace of the 12-year-old girl who was last seen at her Gainesville home on May 29 and reported missing the next day.

The Hall County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that its officers still do not know where Maria is, but their search is continuing.

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A $50,000 reward is being offered for tips that lead authorities to the girl. The growing reward amount has led to numerous reports, but on Thursday officials said no substantial new leads had been offered in the case.

The sheriff's office said Maria was considered endangered. Although authorities said they received 70 tips, none of them led to Gomez-Perez's location.

Authorities previously said Gomez-Perez was last seen at her home on Westside Drive. She is described as 5'3″, 100-110 pounds, with brown eyes and long black hair. Investigators previously said she was last seen wearing a bright blue shirt.

Clues were sought in this case with ties to South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Illinois and Maryland. “These leads did not help us find Maria,” the department said.

FBI, Homeland Security, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, South Carolina Law
The Law Enforcement Division and a number of other agencies assisted in the investigation.

“Once again, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to bringing Maria home safely. We
“I understand that the community is frustrated by the lack of answers in Maria's case,” the agency said. “That said, our investigators are not giving up hope and we ask our community to remain hopeful.
with us. We continue to search for key information that will lead us to Maria.

The Special Investigations Unit hotline remains open at 770-503-3232. Email your information to [email protected]. The information may remain anonymous.

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More than 50 members of the Criminal Investigations Bureau team are searching for Gomez-Perez, and authorities said most of them have been working double-time since her disappearance. Other departments within the sheriff's office and outside agencies have lent their efforts to the search.

“We are doing everything in our power to bring Maria home safely,” Hall County Sheriff Gerald said last week. “Make no mistake, the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office and many other agencies have Maria’s image engraved in our hearts and minds. »

Interviews were conducted with Gomez-Perez's family, believed to be from Guatemala, and with school officials, among others, authorities said.

A marine unit boat was used to search parts of a lake, drones and K9s were deployed and door-to-door canvassing was conducted to try to locate Gomez-Perez, authorities said.

Investigators are requesting video footage in connection with the case, authorities said.
On Patrol: Live and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children have featured Gomez-Perez on their respective online channels.

“We understand that cases like this can leave the community very upset and we want to do whatever we can to help. First of all, this may sound cliché, but please think of Maria and the people working to bring her home and pray for her,” Couch said.

“Anyone in the community has a tip or piece of information that could be the key to cracking this case open. I urge anyone who may have information about Maria’s disappearance to contact our investigators and share what they have.”