Maria Gomez Perez disappearance case: the sheriff thinks she is in danger

GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Nearly two weeks after a 12-year-old girl disappeared from her family's Gainesville home, the Hall County sheriff said his team remains focused on the search for her, believing her to be in danger.

Maria Gomez-Perez was reported missing on May 30. On Tuesday, Sheriff Gerald Couch held a press conference to explain how the search efforts are going. At first, he said investigators thought Maria left on her own. Couch said he's still trying to figure out how she disappeared from Westside Drive.

“I think she may have — and this is a possibility — she may have come into contact with someone that she made contact with to leave her house that day,” Couch theorized. “Identifying that person and trying to find out who they are and where they’ve been, that’s the key.”

Over the past few weeks, and as recently as this past weekend, crews have used officer K-9s and drones, checked Lake Lanier and even searched Maria's home.

“We went there several times, to the residence,” Couch said. “We collected a lot of cellphones and forensic evidence.”

Teachers, friends and acquaintances on social networks were interviewed. However, Couch has not announced any new leads. He also explained why Maria still doesn't qualify for a Levi's Call. He said investigators did not have crucial information, such as a description of the car, a tag or who Maria might have left with. Couch also explained why investigators don't use the suggested grid pattern search.

“These guys[s] “Searchs are cases where you have a defined area that you believe the individual or something suspicious is located in,” Couch explained. “We don’t have these conditions.”

Meanwhile, community advocates, like Norma Hernandez, are still on the ground. Hernandez has led the search efforts since the beginning. She said she was constantly running out of flyers, had thousands of supporters online and more billboards were on the way.

“We got six more, and it’s free,” she told 11Alive. “They’re giving this to me for free for two weeks.”

Hernandez said she hopes Maria is still out there. She said she was in contact with Maria's father, Andres Gomez, to try to keep his spirits up. Hernandez said people often visit him to pray for him and help him.

“He's a sad person. He's a sad father, of course,” Hernández said. “He misses his little girl.”

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Hernandez said they have had no luck reaching Maria's estranged mother, who is believed to be in Guatemala. Couch also didn't rule out Maria's possible presence.

“I work with the Guatemalan consulate,” Hernandez continued. “It was very difficult to find her, but we're still working. We're still trying to reach her.”

Sheriff Couch and Hernandez are determined to keep going. The sheriff said the next person who comes forward could blow this case out into the open.

Anyone who knows anything about what happened to Maria is asked to contact Hall County Sheriff's investigators or call 911 for information. A $20,000 reward is on the table.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, FBI, Gainesville Police and the Guatemalan Consulate General in Atlanta are all assisting in this search.